Mockingbird
by words.left.unsaid
Summary: Edward Cullen must fight the beast inside of him that threatens to break free and ravage her, all the while trying to protect her from those who threaten to take her for themselves. '"You can't escape from me, Bella. I want you. I will have you. You're mine," he growled.'
1. Chapter 1

**REPOST****: 1/22/2013**

**A/N: This story contains abuse scenes, situations of attempted rape, and the like. Don't read if you have an aversion to any of those. As a writer, it is not my wish to cause harm on my audience's psyche **_**or**_** cause discomfort, therefore I do advise you to heed my warnings **_**now**_** as opposed to later.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"Dude, you're drooling," Emmett said.

Edward subconsciously reached up to wipe at his mouth. Upon finding nothing he turned to glare at Emmett, who had begun to laugh boisterously, attracting the attention of all the other students filing through Forks High's hallways.

Jasper punched Emmett. "Shut the fuck up, man," he whisper-yelled as he looked around in embarrassment, his face suddenly feeling warm.

Emmett straightened up, chuckling. "I can't help it. He's so fucking obsessed with her it's…it's…fucking _hilarious_." He succumbed once again to his amusement.

His guffaws echoed down the hallway where _she_ was. She turned with a hint of a smile curling the corners of her mouth; her amusement was budding like a water lily in early summer morn as she observed her brother's antics.

Her eyebrows furrowed when she met Edward's unrelenting emerald orbs. They flashed with something she couldn't identify. But _that_ wasn't anything new.

She looked away quickly when his gaze became so intense that it was like he was glaring at her for daring to look at him. Cheeks flushed red, she made her way to lunch.

"I'm not obsessed with her," Edward proclaimed with an irritated huff as he slammed his locker door shut. He peeked at Emmett's face, relieved to see that he wasn't offended.

Edward turned and walked towards the lunch room, leaving his friends to make idiots of themselves without him.

He glided through the hallways; people darted from his path so he could pass. The brooding look on his face told them that if he could, he would beat them to shit, especially if they didn't move fast enough.

It wasn't like he actually did anything to threaten his peers. He just looked completely pissed off at everything, all hours of the day. Coupled with the fact that he was one of the largest males in the student body, people went out of their way to stay away from him.

He sat down at his table after picking something to eat.

His sister always sat with _her_. Her pale face was lit up with one of her rare smiles. She almost never smiled, having no reason to.

Her life seemed to be falling apart around her. She was invariably on edge, _at all times_. She felt as if she had fallen down a rabbit hole. Her little blue dress – which frayed as her journey progressed – was but a symbol for her mind.

She was slowly losing herself. She could see it. Her brother could see it. Hell, even the lunch lady gave her an odd look earlier. She, however, had stopped caring. The _one_ person who could actually make a difference to her, was hell bent on making her feel like she was worth less than the scum beneath his shoes.

She didn't know how _wrong_ she was, however. She didn't know that the man who seemed to curse her very existence, the _boy_ who was nothing more than a love struck adolescent with no clue as to how to manage such _intense_ emotions, wanted nothing more than to be the source of her happiness.

She didn't know what seeing her salty tears cloud her eyes did to him. It made him absurdly _angry _is what it did. Anything or anyone that hurt her could not be guaranteed a long existence.

She didn't know at that very moment, he was thinking that she looked like those blown sugar sculptures that decorated the surfaces of fancy cakes – like she would dissolve into nothing, if you touched her.

She didn't know that he _desperately_ wanted to know what horrible misdeed had been done upon her. She didn't know that she was his addiction, that she was _everything_…that she was _it_ for him.

He fervently needed to learn all that there was to learn about her – her favorite color, her favorite flower. _Fuck_, even the kind of toothpaste she preferred would feed his infatuation.

But, what made him wish most ardently for the ability to read minds – besides his gut-wrenching wish to know anything and everything about her – was discovering the cause of her and her brother's sudden move to Forks. Knowing that would tell him the reason or reasons for her misery.

He, however, couldn't bring himself to invade her privacy by asking one of the readily available private investigators on his father's payroll to look into her past. He wanted to get to know her as a result of a progression of their relationship – preferably a romantic one – not as a result of him acting on his stalker like tendencies.

Jessica slid into the seat opposite him. She placed her elbows on the table and blinked at him.

He frowned before passing his lunch tray over to her. "Your dad?" he questioned, though he already knew that he was the reason she couldn't buy herself any lunch.

She merely shrugged. The movement was very nearly hidden by her bulky grey hoodie, but he was so accustomed to seeing her in the hideous thing that the little shrug didn't slip his notice. She only wore the heavy sweater on the days after her father was released from prison.

He glared at her for not responding properly before reaching across the table and pushing her right sleeve up to her forearm. He swore, bringing his hand up to his face, and rubbing at it tiredly. There were bruises littering her arm – up and down – all in the shape of a large hand.

"And you didn't call me, because…?" he trailed off, annoyance easily heard in his voice.

She pulled her arm away from him, giving him a look that clearly told him to stop being an ass. His glare softened when she wiped at her reddening eyes.

"He took my phone," she said finally, her voice nothing more than a whisper.

His hands found his hair. He was really getting sick of her father. Edward wondered to himself why her father didn't realize that the more abusive he got, and the more times he got arrested, the less lenient the law would be on him. He wondered if Jessica's father didn't care or if he was really just _that_ dense.

He watched her silently as she shoveled food into her mouth at a rate that would make even Emmett's jaw drop. "When the fuck did you last eat something?" he asked her angrily.

She paused her rabid chewing long enough to take a large gulp from Edward's lemonade bottle and give him an answer that had him seeing red.

Edward growled to himself as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "Where is he now?"

Jessica swallowed thickly, her gaze shifting from his face to the lunch tray. "I'm not sure," she lied.

"Jess," he said warningly.

She took a deep breath, understanding that her father was evil, grasping the fact that all he would ever do was hurt her and her mother, _knowing_ the dangers of having him around, and yet hesitating because he was still, after all, her father.

She looked up at him, a watery smile on her lips. "That bar on Main," she said.

His phone was already out and pressed to his ear. Charlie assured him that he'd get someone to pick up Jessica's dad whiles he checked on her mom. It was disconcerting that her mother had yet to call him, especially considering the fact that her ex-husband was out of the house.

Not wanting to worry Jessica, Charlie told Edward not to tell her about his concerns about her mother. They hung up then.

Knowing Jessica a whole hell of a lot more than Charlie did, Edward asked, "How was your mom when you left for school this morning?"

Again, her eyes shifted from him to the lunch tray. "She was fine."

Edward leaned back in her seat, studying her. She peeked up at him through her lashes, looking to see whether or not his gaze was still upon her.

It was.

After several minutes, her face became red and she was distinctly uncomfortable with his staring. She let out a sigh that signified her surrender.

"Um. I went to check on mom this morning," she said, "but her door was locked." Her brow furrowed. "I started knocking, and then…he opened up." Jessica paused. "He told me to get out of the house, and to not come back." She swallowed thickly. "I called mom, but he…uh…he slapped me and yelled at me to leave."

Edward shook his head as he reached out and grabbed her hand again. His was so much larger than hers. And so was her father's. Edward couldn't wrap his mind around how someone so much stronger than someone else could hurt them.

"Finish your lunch," he said quietly.

She smiled at him again, that watery, uncertain smile that made him clench his fist around her fingers. She conceded easily to his wishes, and they continued speaking; their topic of discussion turned to lighter things until eventually, she was laughing and smiling, forgetting about her troubles.

She was suddenly waving at someone over Edward's shoulder. Edward looked back to see Bella give Jessica a timid answering wave. Her brown eyes flashed to his for a second before she lowered her head and turned away, letting her thick hair fall as a curtain between them.

He turned back to look at Jessica. "You're so mean," she said, disappointment coloring her voice.

Edward raised his eyebrows questioningly, wondering what his most recent offense was.

"She thinks you hate her," Jessica said, shaking her head.

Edward frowned. "I don't."

"_I_ know you don't, but the way you look at her all the time," she shook her head, "…it's like you want to kill her or something."

'_No_,' Edward thought, '_I just want to do incredibly intimate things to her in every way imaginable, on every surface imaginable. On this lunch table, on our lab table in Biology, on my piano…_especially _on my piano. I also want to shower her with diamonds and flowers and buy her all the stars in the sky_.'

Jessica gave him a strange look when he didn't answer. He turned his head to look at Bella, instead.

Jessica left him alone, knowing that he thought that Bella was _way _out of his league and that he would only ever get to admire her from afar.

Without Jessica's interference, he spent the rest of the lunch hour staring at her in such rapt attention it was a wonder his eyes didn't fall out of his head.

Bella could feel his intensity upon her flesh, burning into her, marking her as _his_. She didn't know who could possibly be looking at her in such a way. Observing the lunch room, she spotted several people looking in her direction, though she knew that that didn't mean that they were looking at her.

She wrote off Edward's stare, thinking to herself that he'd never look at her with anything other than irritation and that he was perhaps watching his sister.

But Michael – who insisted that she call him 'Mike' – was definitely looking at her, and it was _definitely_ making her uncomfortable.

When the bell rang, Edward sprang from his seat, pulling his backpack onto his shoulders and holding Jessica's books under his arm. He strode to Biology, pulling Jessica by the elbow the entire way as he wanted to keep her in his sights. She still had his lunch tray with her and she was quickly scarfing down as much as she could.

Edward set Jessica's books down on her lab table before heading to his, where he dumped his belongings from his backpack on the table's shiny black surface. He always littered his books over the biology lab table even though he knew that when _she_ arrived he would have to move them.

It gave him something to do…_some_ reason to talk to her. He would always mumble a quick 'sorry' as he stacked his books up in front of him, ignoring the feeling of pathetic-ness that always followed.

He smelled her and reacted the same way he did every other time. He inhaled deeply. A low inaudible growl trembled through his body. She sat down beside him with a sigh, holding her books up so he could gather his own in a pile. She pressed her lips together. Her patience was thinning. He mumbled his apology as she put her books down.

He glared at her as always. His mind always ran rampant trying to find an explanation as to why she always smelled like sex, when in truth, everything about her screamed incorruptible innocence.

He shifted in discomfort as he felt a rush of blood to his groin. He looked down to see himself swelling in his jeans. He swallowed thickly and breathed deeply. Her scent was nearly torturous.

He was certain that if he were to ever actually have the opportunity to even touch his lips to her own, all of his carefully constructed walls – walls that were keeping him under control – would crumble to dust.

He wouldn't hesitate in showing her what she did to him. She drove him absolutely _crazy_, both with lust and a lingering irritation with her that for some reason never ceased to rear its head in her presence.

As payback for all the torture he had to do endure because of her – his constant desperate aches to grab her, pin her down, suck on her neck, stroke her cheekbones, kiss her forehead – he'd do ridiculously small things that he was certain would make her sob with impatience, arch in pleasure, and drive her to insanity. He wanted to suck the tips of her fingers into his mouth, lick her chin, kiss her ribcage, trace longing circles around her belly button –

He swallowed against the ache in his throat that pleaded with him to just _take_ her again and again and again and again…until she couldn't breathe, until she was clinging to him with sweaty hands and eager whimpers.

He clenched his jaw and let his gaze drift down to the hollow at the base of her throat. He wanted to suck on that very spot. He wanted everyone to know that she was _his_.

He frowned. But she _wasn't _his. _She probably never will be_, he thought, as anxiety and longing filled him.

He knew that she thought he hated her. In reality, he was so in love with her that it very nearly tore him to shreds. He had realized his love for the tiny girl when he was sitting at home with only his thoughts as his company.

Edward searched his heart many times over for any sign of doubt in his revelation. Upon finding none, he could not deny his feelings for the heart wrenchingly beautiful girl that sat mere inches away from his arms, which were ready and waiting for her loving embrace.

The _real_ beauty in her – the beauty that made her so completely and utterly irresistible to him – laid in her ability to be demure in nature, but feisty when provoked. She was incredibly intelligent if not a bit unobservant. Innocence lighted the air around her, and he felt almost lecherous for having the audacity to be in her presence.

Aside from her intelligence and the aura of purity around her, her physical beauty was undeniable.

Her eyes were indeed windows to her soul, swirling hypnotically, the color of cherry wood. Unbelievably long, thick, black lashes lined her nearly disproportionately large eyes, touching her soft cheeks with her every blink.

Her nose was small, perched regally on her heart-shaped face, which was framed by thick mahogany hair that flowed, curling all the way down to her thighs. A widows peak accentuated her prominent cheekbones and delicate chin. Deep rose red lips parted, letting out her honeyed breath, which he longed to taste.

This small, terrifyingly fragile girl owned his heart and could easily crush it with a flick of her wrist. That was not something he liked to dwell on.

The smell of someone's salty cologne invaded his senses and broke him out of his reverie. He fought the urge to pummel one Michael Newton as he sauntered over to their table. Edward knew that it wasn't so he could beg for tickets to the next basketball game.

"Hey, Bella," he said.

She sighed, annoyed. "Hi, Michael."

Edward watched as a tight smile formed on the Boy Wonder's lips. "I told you, Bella. Call me 'Mike'." His eyes darkened when she just looked at him.

She was extremely uncomfortable by his insistence about his name but not as discomforted as she was by the safety she suddenly felt with Edward sitting next to her.

The blond haired boy leaned over the lab table. Though he was invading Bella's personal space, she politely said nothing.

"You coming to my party on Saturday?" he asked.

"I don't think so…_Mike_," she said.

He smiled at her, pleased that she conceded to his wishes about his name, but slightly annoyed that she rejected his invitation. "Then we'll just have to meet up some other time," he said.

Edward narrowed his eyes at him and scoffed as quietly as he could.

"Got something to say, Cullen?" _Mike_ asked.

Edward clenched his fists but said nothing and merely smirked at the oaf.

Bella – upset by Edward's hostility and not wanting a fight to erupt – leaned forwards towards Mike. "He doesn't," she insisted, casting a glare in Edward's direction.

Mike returned his attention to Bella. "Don't worry about _him_, Bella. If he gives you any problems, just tell me, and I'll set him straight," Mike said with an inappropriate amount of confidence.

Bella smiled at him placatingly. "I sure will, Mike."

Mike smirked again, before turning to go to his seat.

Bella turned to Edward. "_What_ is your _problem_?" she questioned fiercely.

Edward raised an eyebrow at her. "_I_ don't have one. Your _boyfriend_ does," Edward spat, watching as she turned an interesting shade of red.

"He's _not_ my _boyfriend_, Edward," she glared.

"Then tell _him_ that."

She opened her mouth to say something scathing to him, but shut it quickly. He was unreasonably stubborn and she wasn't in the mood to verbally spar with him. "It's none of your business."

He smirked at her, "Being an attention whore is very unbecoming, Isabella."

She stared at him in disbelief. She blinked twice and clenched her jaw before turning forward in her seat. Her hair hid her abject horror as memories of _that_ day flooded her mind. They bombarded her – harshly and unforgivingly – like raindrops on an ant hill.

_The musky scent of male_ _and sweat…Emmett's growl of disgust when he barged into her bedroom…the feel of the hardwood floor against her ribcage as she hid beneath Emmett's bed…her mother's voice coming from the living room downstairs…the hard sound of flesh meeting flesh, not once, but twice…Emmett's arms around her body, pulling her from her hiding place…the feeling of utter despair as they fled the sweltering heat of Phoenix…the feeling of all-encompassing safety as they entered the never ending overcast of Forks…_

He sat back in his seat, angry with her for flaunting her relationship with fucking _Newton_ in front of him.

Their teacher then wheeled in a TV strapped to a cart. The VCR player was older than Edward himself—he was sure of it.

Mr. Banner dimmed the lights and the beginning credits for a video on cell mitosis and meiosis swooshed onto the screen. It was hokey and had ridiculous graphic but it was one more free period he had, so who was he to complain?

Bella was leaning forward on her elbows, trying to drown herself in the video and ignore the arrogant brooding boy beside her. The memories had finally ceased, now all that was left were brief flashes and her tears.

She fiddled with her pencil, rolling it across the desk in front of her and letting the noise encompass her in her own little bubble.

He snarled in feigned annoyance and kicked the foot of her chair. "Fucking stop," he whispered harshly.

She turned, looking at him – her eyes watery and her face distressed – before returning her attention to the movie.

He stopped himself from saying anything else to her when her tears registered in his mind. He started wondering if he caused those.

It was a logical explanation but he was certain that he'd said much worse things to her. However, somehow, this time was different from all the rest. What he'd said – though without malicious intent – had caused her _pain_. He'd made her _cry_.

His heart thundered violently in his chest

Mr. Banner turned the lights on.

"Bella," he said, leaning forward.

She sighed, almost defeated, before turning to look at him. The sight of her face – covered in drying tears that were the result of something _he_ did – had him reeling.

"Bella," he repeated, sighing. "I didn't mean – "

"It's fine, Edward," she said, cutting him off as she gathered her books. The bell rang seconds later and she was up and out of her seat.

Mike followed behind her eagerly and Edward sat back in his seat, thoroughly upset with himself.

A small hand appeared on the desk besides him. "Are you okay?" she questioned, concern flooding her features.

"Yeah," he replied, distantly.

She sat down in Bella's seat. "What happened?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair. "I said something really, fucking stupid."

Jessica smiled at him sadly. Standing up, she pulled Edward's seated form into her comforting embrace and placed a chaste kiss on his forehead. "It'll be okay," she promised, before leaving for her next class.

Edward sat there for a few more minutes. He heard the warning bell which told students that they had one minute to get to their class.

He put his head in his hands as the final bell rang, telling him that the next period had begun.

Mr. Banner walked in several minutes later, having left to retrieve some items from his office. He spent his free periods preparing for upcoming classes as he was not very social.

The tall, thin man made his way to his desk and then dropped a mess of loose paper and dog-eared books onto its already cluttered surface. "You okay there, Edward?" he asked.

Edward looked up at him, "Uh…yeah."

Mr. Banner gave him a smile. "You sure?"

Edward nodded, finally standing and packing his things away.

As Edward pulled the classroom's door open, he was stopped by the older man's voice. "You need a pass?"

Edward shook his head in the negative and went on his way, until Mr. Banner stopped him again.

His teacher rounded his desk and leaned against it awkwardly. The man was definitely not accustomed to social interaction. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Mr. Banner said.

Edward turned and gave him a weak smile. "Thanks," he said before turning and leaving for the final time.

Maybe he wasn't as hated _or_ feared as he'd thought.

**OoO**

Edward was late to his Spanish class. His teacher was forgiving yet stern as she scolded him. He sat down heavily besides Emmett. "Hey," Emmett greeted.

Edward nodded his greeting, still a little disturbed by what he'd done to Bella.

"Coach decided that we need to practice more…started ranting about rank and strawberry icing," Emmett said.

Edward gave him a strange look.

Emmett shrugged, shaking his head, "I don't…."

Edward smiled at Emmett. "So, we gonna practice on our own then?

"Yeah, after school, on the court outside," Emmett continued.

Edward agreed to the impromptu basketball game before leaning back in his seat to complete the worksheet Mrs. Gogh had handed him.

**OoO**

His last class was Gym. As per his usual routine, he looked for Bella as soon as he entered the Gymnasium. She was standing on the sidelines – a flimsy netted racket twirling between her fingers – watching as Mike made a fool of himself on the court.

Near the end of the period, Edward paused to take a drink. Jessica, who had been keeping Bella company, made her way over to Edward.

Her face told him that she was upset.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

"Mike won't leave us alone," Jessica said, unhappily.

Edward shook his head, "Just ignore him."

"I would be able to if he wasn't slobbering all over Bella like a God-damned lap dog."

Edward raised an eyebrow at her, "Jealous?"

Jessica looked offended. "Over _that_?" she pointed to Mike, who was falling all over the place trying to hit the little birdie. "As _if_, Edward," she sneered in Mike's direction. "He's as annoying as an ingrown pubic hair."

Edward choked and sputtered out his water. His face was red when he eventually calmed down. He raised his eyebrows at her. "That's disgusting."

She smiled at him cheekily before she snatched the water out of his hands. After taking a sip she said, "I hope you plan on apologizing to her."

Edward's eyes snapped away from Bella's face. "I did…sort of."

Jessica raised an eyebrow at him. "Do it _properly_, Edward," she urged. "I've never seen her so upset by something you said." Edward looked down ashamedly. "What _did_ you say to her?" Jessica pondered.

Edward shrugged. "It's not as if it's the _worst_ thing I've ever said to her." Jessica blinked at him. "I called her an attention whore."

Jessica's jaw dropped. "You did _what_?"

Edward shrugged. "I've said meaner things, Jess."

"I know that, Edward," Jessica sighed, shaking her head at him. "If you want her to like you, you have to stop being so terrible."

"I didn't hurt her on purpose."

"Well, what did you expect would happen when you said that to her?"

"I didn't think about that."

Jessica observed the boy before her. He was _always_ in control. He was _always_ thinking five steps ahead. "She's gotten to you, hasn't she?" Jessica questioned, though it came out sounding more like a statement.

Edward struggled with himself. Admitting to her how Bella completely and utterly threw him off was not something he was ready to do. It felt to him as if it would be harder to stay away from her if he acknowledged what a mess Bella made him.

Jessica rubbed his bicep comfortingly. "It's okay," she said, sensing his inner battle. "You don't have to tell me."

Edward smiled down at his best friend, wondering how she had escaped his notice for so long. They had only been friends since his junior year, where a night of drunken fumbling's, lost virginities, and horrifying discoveries led to their friendship. It was as if they were bound, permanently, to each other.

Sometimes, Edward hated the fact that they were not romantically compatible. He'd held her before. She'd cried on his shoulder. Hell, when she stayed the night at his house, she slept in his bed with him.

But all those times…nothing felt _right_. Jessica knew it, too. His arms didn't feel like home to her. Their bodies didn't fit together like they were _made_ for each other. They were like two mismatched puzzle pieces in that regard.

But it was not something Edward could change. They were both meant for different people. Though he loved Jessica, and she loved him in return, a relationship between them would be one of convenience borne from their already easy friendship. It wouldn't be a passionate romance that lasted decades. It would be short and bittersweet and perhaps it would even destroy their friendship.

The period ended and Edward sent Jessica on her way.

Again, in accordance to his usual routine, Edward looked for a small girl with big, brown eyes. He frowned.

Bella was gone.

**OoO**

It was already dark outside. The evil desperate sounds of the night seemed to be closing in on her.

She had stayed late at school since her father had the night shift and Emmett was playing basketball with his team. Annoyed and tired, she decided to leave since Emmett was taking too long.

She walked to her truck and fished her keys out of her bag. When she threw her bag into the car, something caught her eye. She leaned down and looked at her front left tire. With an exclamation of disbelief, she backed away from it and circled her car, taking a look at all of her tires.

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket with shaking fingers. It fell due to her uneasiness. She bent down and searched the ground blindly for her cell phone. She was certain she heard something crack when it fell.

Her fingers brushed against it when she reached under her truck. Tugging it towards herself with her fingernails, she let out a noise of victory.

It was, however, short lived because she then discovered that the battery had fallen out, the screen had a huge scratch across it and her keyboard was loose.

She sighed, knowing there was no use in crying, and then decided to go back into the school and either find Emmett or call her father to pick her up.

She spun around and gasped loudly, clutching her chest in surprise. She breathed deeply and glared at Emmett.

"Emmett, what the hell?"

He grinned at her, his dimples quickly melting her anxiety. "You going home now? I'll race you."

"Well, I _was _going home but…." Bella pushed the truck door to the side to reveal the slashes in her front left tired. "They've all been slashed," she explained.

His brow furrowed. "Get your stuff out. I'll drive you."

She sighed and climbed into the cab of the truck to grab her bag. She slipped out and slung it over her shoulder before folding her arms over her chest. Emmett closed the cab door and wrapped a large arm around her shoulders.

He heard a soft rustling in the bushes. His head turned to look, only to see something retreating back into the forest. His jaw was set as he led her to his old jeep. He quickly glanced through the window to make sure no one was in the backseat before helping her into the passenger side. He quickly jogged to the driver's side before jumping in and speeding off with only one thought running through his mind.

_Something is hunting Bella. _

**A/N: Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**REPOSTED**** – 1/22/2013**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"Hey, Emmett!" Jasper called from his place by Edward's locker. Emmett pushed his way through the crowd to where they were.

"Hey," Emmett replied tiredly, his eyes bloodshot and drooping with exhaustion. "What's up?"

His friends exchanged worried looks.

"It was pretty late when we left last night and Bella's car was still in the lot. She got home okay?" Edward asked, his voice so calm it surprised Emmett enough to wake him up a little.

"Yeah," he replied. "Someone slashed her tires."

Edward's eyes went wide. "_What?_" He clenched his fists, his heart thundering in his chest.

Emmett tugged anxiously at his clothes. It was clear that what had happened the night before had put him on edge.

"You saw someone," Jasper concluded, correctly.

Emmett nodded his head. "In the woods." Emmett tugged at his hair. "If we weren't playing basketball so late last night, she would have been alone wi-with…" Emmett huffed angrily trailing off, trying to talk around the lump in his throat. A million different scenarios flooded into his mind, all ending with Bella getting hurt. Bad.

"What'd Charlie do?" Edward asked, straining to reign in his anger.

"He had a CSU from Port Angeles come down," Emmett said.

"They find anything?" Jasper asked as they made their way to homeroom.

Emmett nodded. "Someone was in the woods where I saw something. They found some broken branches. Whoever it was had been there long enough to make himself comfortable. There was a fucking lawn chair." He shook his head, remembering back to the night before.

He had recounted what he saw to his father whiles pacing back and forth in his room. Bella watched him with wide eyes from her place on his bed.

"That's some serious shit," Jasper said. He knew that both Edward and Emmett would only be preoccupied with the 'what-ifs'. The fact was that Bella _didn't_ get hurt. She was safe. That was all that mattered.

"They're having an assembly today about it," Emmett said, absently.

Jasper put a hand on his shoulder. "She's fine," he said softly. He knew pushing the matter would only aggravate Emmett.

Edward was silent.

Jessica walked in then, shifting her books in her arms. She normally sat nearer to the windows but Edward was already out of his seat, pulling her from the doorway to where he was sitting. He wanted her where he could see her.

He shoved her into the empty desk next to his.

Her eyes narrowed at him as she leaned forward – a hint of the Stanley temper flashing in her eyes. "You know I don't like people manhandling my person, so you better have a good fucking expla—"

She was shut up when Jasper kicked her desk, shaking his head at her.

As Edward stared at her, the crease between his brows smoothened and the death grip he had on her forearm loosened, but not entirely.

"Jess, just…" he trailed off, an uneasy expression of his handsome face.

Her eyes softened a little as she wondered about his sudden anxiety. She nodded at him, allowing him to pull her desk close to his.

Their teacher was now calling the classroom to order.

Five minutes later, before Mr. Berty could begin a riveting lesson on Shakespeare's _Othello_, there was an announcement on the PA.

All classes were to report to the auditorium.

Students filed through the hallways lazily. It was _way_ too early in the morning for them to be able to pay _any_ kind of attention to whatever it was that was so important.

Upon entering the auditorium, Edward elbowed Emmett and nodded in Bella's direction. She was sitting with her legs folded up to her chest, peering over her knees with wide eyes. Her friends had yet to arrive.

Edward led Jessica over to where Bella was sitting. She sat down, eyeing Bella concernedly. "You okay?" she asked.

"You didn't hear yet?" Bella's voice sent a jolt through Edward.

"Hear what?" Jessica asked, confused.

Before Bella could answer, the lights dimmed and Charlie was on the stage, looking mightily uncomfortable under the heavy beams of light being directed at him.

The gun on his hip weighed a thousand pounds. His uniform had never clung to him so tightly. He felt claustrophobic. No, he felt as if there was an elephant sitting on his chest.

For weeks there had been a string of strange going-ons in the small town.

Besides Bella, four other people had had their tires slashed. House pets were being slaughtered, their blood being used to paint flower beds and the inside of peoples' mailboxes. There had been one fire and two burglaries.

One of Charlie's best friends, Waylon, had even disappeared. He'd fought with his wife before escaping to his boat, but no one had seen or heard from him since. His wife hoped he'd only left her and that nothing bad had happened to him.

However, action was being taken now. They – whoever 'they' were – had gone after a student; a teenager; a helpless girl.

Charlie flushed with anger. "Last night," he began, "there was an incident…"

**OoO**

The assembly was long, taking up nearly half of the day. It wouldn't make sense for the students to stay the rest of the day so everyone was let out early. Since it was a Friday, everyone was ecstatic to be starting their weekend sooner than expected.

Edward returned to his locker to gather all of his belongings. Down the hall, he could see Mike chatting Bella up. He felt his stomach drop and bile rise in his throat as he saw Mike push an escaping curl from Bella's face.

Her cheeks were flushed coral and she was nodding at Mike. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Edward felt his world stop as he looked upon the sight of his beloved in the arms of another man.

Mike was only several inches taller than Bella, so she could easily see over his shoulder. Confusion furrowed her brows as she saw Edward at his own locker.

Mike was blathering away in her ear, but her sole focus was the boy down the hall who was glaring at her with all he had. She nearly flinched.

"Bella?"

Bella stuttered an apology and refocused her attention on Mike. She could still feel the press of his slightly chapped lips against her face, and hear his whispered, '_I'm glad you're okay._'

Mike left shortly thereafter. Not a word of what he'd been saying to her having registered.

Bella sighed and shook her head before slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder. She turned to exit the school. None of her thoughts were spared for Mike. Only the wild-haired, wild-eyed boy seemed to have grasped her heartstrings with a tenacious ferocity.

His glare was never-ceasing, however. And it was then that she found herself cursing him for making her so confused.

**OoO**

His eyes followed her movements, which were jerky with distraction.

What had her so tied up in knots?

Was it Mike?

Was it…dare he think it…

Was it _him_?

Edward could barely reason over the roar of the demon inside of him that longed to possess her. He knew that there had to be something seriously wrong with him to feel so raw in her company. So utterly and completely owned by her. So desperate to be graced with her presence, let alone her acknowledgement.

Such devotion wasn't normal…_was it_?

Edward watched as she disappeared into the sea of students pushing through the hallways. He had winced up seeing it. She was small. Too small. And seeing her force her way through their tightly packed large bodies made him want to yell at them to just fucking move out of her way.

They were all too close to her. She knew this and Edward knew this. He always observed her, noticing that she hated crowds and was slightly claustrophobic.

Seeing her get pushed around made him ache. He knew that she would probably have bruises. Her skin was too delicate. _She_ was too delicate.

Alice appeared at his side. Upon seeing his worried stare towards the exit doors, she stood up on the tips of her toes to look through the crowd of people. She saw Bella shoving her way through their stubborn bodies. "She's fine, Edward. She's stronger than you think." With that, she walked towards the exit.

Edward finished shoving his books into his book bag, slamming his locker door shut in frustration before making his way out to his car. He saw Bella slide into Alice's car.

He sped off towards his house with a grimace set firmly in place. His cell phone rang. He picked it up and pressed it to his ear. "What?" he barked.

"Well excuse the fuck outta me," Jessica chirped indignantly.

"Oh. It's _you_," he muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, unimpressed by his tone.

"Nothing," he grumbled. She did have a mean right hook after all.

"Right," she snarked, dragging out the vowel sarcastically.

"Jessica," he huffed.

She rolled her eyes. "I was just wondering if you were going to the Newt's party tomorrow."

"I doubt I'll be welcome."

She snorted, "As if that's ever stopped you before."

His lips curled up in a begrudging half-smile. "Are _you_ going?"

"_Pshaw_. Free beer, Edward," she reasoned.

"A'right. Just be careful."

"Yeah yeah," she dismissed. "Now can you tell me what's got you more pissy than usual?"

He found himself grinding his teeth. "It's nothing." His response was met with silence. He sighed heavily, stopping at a red light. "I fucked up, Jess. I fucked up real bad."

No pretenses. No falsities. "I know," she said.

"So you saw?"

"Saw?" she echoed.

"He kissed her. And she _let_ him kiss her." His phone creaked a protest in his grip.

"Calm down," she ordered. "You have to fix this, Edward. You have to make it right. Do what I've been telling you to do for _months _now."

"I don't –"

"You're scared," she said, speaking over him. "I get that."

"I'm not," he answered quickly.

"Liar," she accused. "We both know what you've kept hidden for so long. And _I_ know that you're more special –"

"Abnormal," he interrupted

"_Special_," she growled. "More special and amazing than any other guy out there because of it."

He heard her breathing hitch. "Don't cry, Jess."

She chuckled humorlessly. "I can't help it," she sniffed. "Ugh. You've turned me into such a pussy, jackass."

He snorted. "Sorry."

"Okay. Let's stop being depressed little bitches," Jessica snickered. "Is Bella going to the party?"

If he was anywhere but inside his car, he would've punched something. "Why would I know that?" he growled.

She paused before belting out, "_Every breath you take_ –"

"Jessica!" Edward snarled.

"Calm your stalker ass down, Edward, jeez," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Are you staying over tonight?" He changed the subject.

"Socially awkward penguin."

"_What_? Just answer my question, Jessica."

She sobered, immediately. "No…he...," she swallowed, "He's gone."

"Your mom?"

"He cuffed her to fence in the yard and raided the house. Then he left."

"Mother_fuck_," he growled, slamming his palm into dash.

"She wasn't hurt." Her voice lacked inflection.

"You should stay with me tonight," Edward insisted.

"No," she interrupted. "I just wanna be with my mom. That okay?"

He sighed and answered curtly. "Fine."

She sighed and spoke quietly. "I gotta go," she said.

"Bye Jess," Edward murmured. She hung up without saying goodbye.

He had long since pulled in front of his house. He made his way into the looming Victorian, worrying over how many different emotions were present in that one conversation.

He then had a very uncomfortable flashback to his youth.

_The matronly woman tapped a tattoo against the notepad on her lap._

_He felt every beat slam against his eardrums in the otherwise silent room. His gaze was carefully blank – fixed on a painting of a sailboat right behind her left cheek – not revealing the storm that _tap-tap_ was brewing inside of him._

"_Do you ever feel like you could kill?" the woman asked the young boy of seven, on a hunch._

_He turned his frightfully green eyes back to her. "Yes," he replied without hesitancy._

**OoO**

Edward had finished his homework – as planned – and was currently arranging, with a friend from Port Angeles, to meet at the range to shoot for a few hours.

After hanging up his phone, it was already dark out. His school clothes consisted of a pair of dark wash jeans and a long sleeve black t-shirt, so he just threw a grey hoodie over his shoulders, as the cement bunker they normally shot in seemed to keep dead-of-winter temperatures.

He opened his nightstand draw and pulled out the black and silver Desert Eagle that sat at the bottom of it. He then tucked it into his holster on the waistband of his jeans.

When he had turned eighteen a few months prior, his father had gotten him a gun as well as a license to carry it.

Though Carlisle was the leading physician at Forks General Hospital, he also owned a private military company based in Seattle. He occasionally worked with the police trying to help witnesses in protective custody. He would get the occasional scared yuppie housewife with an imaginary stalker.

But mostly, Carlisle contracted his men out to the government to perform special missions abroad.

One of the biggest projects they were currently employed in was guarding the few water supplies in developing countries, preventing rebels from poisoning wells, as well as protecting the water from the governments that wished to control its people by denying them access to it.

It was dangerous work, but it had to be done.

Carlisle got the license under his business so Edward could carry it around with him and claim that he was just going to work or coming home from it if he was ever caught with his gun.

With all that was going on Edward wasn't taking a chance with whoever it was that was out there. He slipped on his tan construction boots and made his way downstairs.

His mother was in the kitchen when he went to grab a bottle of water. "Hey, mom," he greeted.

"Hi, honey." She smiled at him, wariness creeping along the sides of her mouth. She loved her son. Loved him very much. But his difficulties as a child had nearly ripped her apart for years. She was not who she once was, and she never would be. But she'd never let him know that he was the reason behind it. "You going out, now?" she asked, the bump on his hip already telling her the answer.

"Yeah," he muttered, taking a sip from the bottle in his hands.

"Just be careful," she said before returning to her cleaning.

Edward spied a cell phone sitting on the end of the kitchen island. He flipped it open with a grimace. Not only was the thing a dinosaur, but the screen was cracked and it was being held together by duct tape.

"Whose is this?" He asked holding it up.

She turned. "That's Bella's. She must have left it here. Would you be a dear and return it to her?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Okay." He made his way to the front door after grabbing his keys.

"I love you," Esme yelled from the kitchen.

"Love you too," he yelled back. Once he was in his car and driving down the driveway, his heart dropped deep into his stomach as he realized what he had just agreed to.

He had to _talk_ to her. He set his jaw, determined. He wouldn't curse or be a jerk. He also had to be sure he kept the demon inside of him under control. He couldn't let it break free. All the demon wanted to see was Bella beneath him, squirming, begging, pleading, cumming, writhing, crying, screaming.

He sucked in a quick breath of air, his heart thundering faster and faster in his chest. _God, I want her…need her…must have her_.

Bella's only saving grace was the slap of the cold October air that hit him like a brick wall when he practically lunged from his car like a panther after its quarry. The crisp night sobered him similarly to a cold shower.

He'd slowed to a jog by the time he reached the front porch and had managed to restrain himself further – only ringing the doorbell three times before removing his thumb.

He heard the clicking of the lock before the door swung open. Bella's brow furrowed in confusion.

"You left your phone," he nearly barked at her as he pulled it out of his pocket. He was forever grateful for his thick hoodie, as it was presently hiding his throbbing manhood. The demon roared in delight, basking like a cat in sunlight, as the erotic scent of her supple flesh flooded his senses, triggering bursts of heat throughout his blood.

He needed to leave. Quick. He was poised for an attack she'd never have been prepared for. Body, soul, and mind. She wasn't ready for all he wanted to do to her, right at that very moment.

A bright blush spread across the apples of her cheeks. "Thanks," she said softly as she took it from his outstretched fingers.

Movement behind her caught his eyes. "Emmett around?" he asked, thinking that the figure in the backyard was him. Emmett would save her from him. In case he lost control. He feared tearing her to shreds in the mood he was in.

"He's in Seattle with Rosalie for the weekend," she informed him.

He took a step forward. She countered with a step back. Her head was tilted at a near ninety degree angle to see his face, he was standing so close. Much closer than he'd ever dared before.

She cried out suddenly, his hand grasping her wrist with untempered strength.

He could feel her pulse against his palm. The feel of her flesh was heaven and hell.

"Where's your father?" he questioned, voice gruff.

"Gold Bar," she whined, tempted to pull away from his grasp, but restraining herself. Why? He was scaring her beyond belief, and she was never one to poke a bear with a stick, so to speak. "Why are you – " Her thought was cut off when the air was knocked out of her as Edward shoved her against the wall. He kept his forearm across her collarbone to prevent her from moving.

He tilted his body to the side so he could peer through the kitchen and out the windows that lined the back wall.

Then he saw it. An evil face stared back at him. The person's eyebrows were furrowed with rage, and his lips were curled back in a snarl. In a second, he was gone.

With a growl Edward ran towards the back door. He swung it open to reveal that no one was there. "Shit." He slammed the door shut and spun around, panic swelling inside of him. "There was someone in your backyard."

Her eyes widened. "What?" She squeaked.

He glared at her. "How could you not fucking _notice _that someone was in your backyard?" he cried out in frustration. "Are you fucking _stupid_?"

She backed away from him slightly with tears welling up in her eyes; her lower lip began to tremble, her chin dimpled as she willed her tears away. "I didn't see – "

"What the _fuck_ are you _wearing_?" he yelled, suddenly as he shrugged out of his hoodie and quickly tossed it over her. She was dressed in nothing but cutoff jeans shorts and a tight lacy tank top …sans bra.

"I'm wearing clothes!" She yelled angrily through her tears and gritted teeth as he pushed her towards the front door. "Where are you taking me?" she questioned as his hands grew more insistent on her back. She wiped quickly at her eyes.

He growled. "You're so fucking slow." He grunted as he lifted her up and slung her over his shoulder. She let out a surprised squeak.

He ran to his car and quickly shoved her inside before getting into the driver's seat and pealing out of the driveway. Her breathing was labored as she glared at him. "Where are you taking me?" She questioned again.

"My house," he replied, no less calm than before.

She folded her arms over her chest. "Why?"

"Isabella!" he growled, her stubbornness making him grind his teeth in irritation.

"Don't call me that!" she griped, glaring at him before hiding behind her hair. "Asshole," she muttered.

He slammed his foot on the brake. The car lurched as he stopped suddenly; her hands flew out in front of her, keeping her from smashing face-first into the dash.

His breathing was erratic and he tried to control his anger. He turned to glare at her. "Can't you just be grateful and not whine like a little bitch?" he questioned, roughly.

Her head snapped up quickly. She seemed at a loss for words before she mocked, "Thank you." Sniffling, she reached for the door. She pushed it open and climbed out before slamming it shut. She began to walk into the forest where she knew she would eventually find the trail that linked her house with the Cullen's.

The only sounds heard in the car were his harsh breaths. He clenched his eyes tightly and leaned his head back on the head rest, knowing that she would eventually have to come back to the car. His house was over ten miles away from their location. He knew about the trail but he also knew that it would be fucking stupid to walk it at night, especially since it led to the Swan's backyard, where that beast-man had been only moments prior.

His eyes flashed open then. "Shit." He fumbled with his seatbelt before leaping out the car and running towards where she had disappeared into the woods.

She stumbled forward as her bare foot caught on the root of a large tree. Edward had dragged her out of her house so fast, she didn't even have time to put her shoes on. She fell to the ground with a gasp and looked at her toe. It was throbbing and turning slightly red.

"Stupid Edward," she muttered.

The snap of a twig made her look up cautiously. There was someone there with her and judging from the chill that ran up her spine…

_It wasn't Edward._

**A/N: Edward's such a moron…we all know that. But he's sexy. So it's okay ;***

**Review please :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**REPOSTED****: 1/22/2013**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

She gasped as a masked shadow pushed through the bushes. She crawled backwards and let out a scream. Through her haze of fear she saw a long piece of rope in her stalker's hand. She felt the ground scraping at her palms harshly.

She heard a loud growl and then her attacker was on the ground. Edward straddled the masked figure before punching him in the face. He pushed at Edward's chest with small hands. Edward didn't protest the motion and fell off.

It was a woman.

She then took the opportunity to stand and sprint back into the foliage. Edward growled again and began to run towards the forest line.

"Edward!" Bella cried. He stopped short and looked back at her. Tears were streaming down her face so he ran back to her and picked her up from the ground. Even though her feet were planted firmly below her, he was supporting all of her weight with his arms wrapped around her, like vines. His grip was tight and unyielding.

Her body was trembling and she was breathing so hard she felt as if her chest was going to burst. "Bella," he whispered.

She merely whimpered and buried her face in his chest. Her hands were clutching his biceps so hard her nails were digging into his skin. "Don't leave me," she cried softly.

He shushed her softly and leaned down to pick her up, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to walk. It took him nearly ten minutes to find the highway again.

One thing Edward knew was that it was two people or more. The face he saw peering through Bella's kitchen window was that of a man. But the person who just attacked Bella was a woman…too soft and small to be a man, but not small enough to be a child. He highly doubted a child would be out in the forest in the middle of the night.

He tried to set her down in his car, but she was gripping him too tightly. He traced circles on her wrists until she relaxed back into her seat. She watched him with wide eyes as he made his way around the car and got in swiftly.

He sped away from the site – tires screeching – and eventually he was pulling down his mile-long hidden driveway. There weren't any lights on in the house so he knew that his mother was most likely in bed already. His father had taken the night shift at the hospital.

Despite outward appearances, the war raging inside of him was bloody and fierce. His slightly shuddering breaths and the little twitch of the tips of his fingers were the only signs of his true anger at the moment.

It was neither fear nor panic that colored his vision red.

"Why were you home alone?" he questioned, his voice raw with an emotion she could not name.

Bella merely gave him a half-shrug – her body was still trembling lightly. "Jasper surprised Alice with a date. I didn't want her to miss it."

Edward clenched his jaw. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

She looked up at him, confused. "Why?"

He clarified. "If I didn't say what I said…" He trailed off when Bella shook her head at him.

Her voice was small. "It's okay."

He sighed.

It wasn't okay.

"Your dad doesn't know Emmett's in Seattle with Rose, does he?"

Bella shook her head in the negative.

"Emmett thought you were spending the night at our house?"

Bella nodded.

Edward nodded, too. "And Alice didn't know that Emmett was in Seattle."

Bella bit her lip. "No," she whispered.

"I see." His tone was clipped as he realized that no one had taken Charlie seriously that morning. At least not seriously enough to have tried to coordinate around each other for the sake of Bella's safety.

The demon was rattling in its cage with a ferocity that couldn't be put into words. Edward could feel it chipping away at the chains that held it trapped. Anger didn't even begin to cover how the demon inside of him felt about the events that unfolded that night. "You didn't feel the need to tell her that you would be home alone?"

"I didn't think – "

"I _know_, that," he snarled. Her breath stuttered. He reigned himself in, sucking air through his teeth in a hiss. "Do you have any sense of self-preservation whatsoever?" The sardonic twist of his lips told her that she wasn't meant to answer.

She looked away from him, wondering why she felt the need to apologize to him.

He exited the vehicle and she stumbled out after him.

Edward rounded the car and came to a stop impossibly close to her for the second time that night. He reached for her and she skittered from his path, only to discover that her paranoia was for naught. He slammed the car door shut behind her shivering body – his eyes flashing with emotion unknown. His features were arranged in its usual perpetual stoicness; his lack of facial inflection could put a rock to shame.

He was reminded, yet again, of the sweet skin that lay beneath his faded hoodie and the thin fabric of her own clothes. Her coy form – petite and ripe with possibilities – called to him like a fine wine.

And oh how he intended to sample her.

Her plump bottom lip was pulled betwixt her Chiclet white teeth and her chin quivered slightly. She had no idea what he was doing – standing there, staring at her. Hell, she had no idea what _she_ was doing – standing there, staring at him.

She was no simpering wench, waiting for a prince on a horse like snow. Or so she liked to tell herself.

The moment was lost when Bella found her voice and wretched through her teeth, "_What_?"

He smirked.

She scowled.

"You're not nearly as frightening as you try to be," he informed her.

Her face screwed up with disbelief and she shoved at his shoulder. It was like pushing against those great stone walls that surrounded castles of old. An impossible feat, especially for someone of her stature.

As if to spite her, he moved even closer. She pressed herself against the car to escape his touch. Something told her that all would be lost, were his and her bodies flush together.

She knew that nothing would ever be the same again. Her – for once – sort-of-stable life would be thrown into upheaval. Her entire life could change, if she just took a minute step forward, into the warm wall of flesh and boy-smell and apples and peppermint and _home_.

She didn't have the opportunity to ponder that last one because, suddenly, he was gone. The night air replaced his body – which was barely tethered to reality as lust and need roared together in the ferocious stormy sea inside of him.

He'd seen the foyer light flick on and then his mother's form appeared on the front porch. She was rubbing her eyes, peering through her fingers at the pair of them. It suddenly seemed to dawn on her that she'd only asked her son to take Bella her phone, yet he returned, with Bella, and most probably her phone.

She blinked.

"Sweetie? What're you doing here?" Esme asked Bella.

"There was someone in the Swan's backyard," Edward answered, voice bare of emotion. It wouldn't do to betray his feelings for Bella in front of Esme.

Esme would most likely tell Bella to _run_. As fast and as far away as she could.

"Oh dear," Esme gasped, concernedly. She pulled her robe tight around her body, meeting Bella halfway to the house and grasping her shoulders comfortingly. "Where's your brother?" Bella bit her lip. Esme paused mid-step, the famous Platt temper spreading like fire through her features. "Your father?" Esme asked more firmly. Bella licked her lips.

"Gold Bar."  
They entered the house. "Doing _what_?" Esme huffed.

Bella shrugged.  
"I'm calling the police," Edward said from his place just inside the doorway.  
Esme's eyes flashed to his. "What _happened_?"

**OoO**

Because Charlie was four hours away, investigating a series of similarly executed happenings in Gold Bar, the sergeant and a few other squad cars arrived at the Cullen's house. They took a statement from both Edward and Bella. She was still in shock over the events of the night.

Being attacked and then those few precious seconds in the driveway that seemed to have been hours.

Edward was watching her from across the living room with intense eyes. They were swirls of deep jade and ebony. The more he stared the more her face heated up. She was unable to look away though. Her own eyes were dark and slightly glazed over.

"Bella?" The sergeant called. With a deep breath she forced her eyes away from Edward's. She almost grunted with the amount of force it took her to look away. Her breathing was shaky.

"Yeah?" Bella asked as she regained her bearings.

"I just wanted to let you know that we'll be heading out now. If you feel the need, just call us and we'll come back," the sergeant spoke slowly, not knowing how to speak or how to comfort Bella. There were not many stalking incidences in Forks, and certainly no instances where there were _two_ stalkers involved – a female one no less.

"Thanks, Kenya." Bella folded her arms around her and tried to bury herself in her own little bubble. Edward's scent was thick on the hoodie she had wrapped around her. Her legs were tucked up into it since the cops had left the front door open so they could go in and out freely. The air inside was just as cold as it was outside in the chilly October night.

She felt her body heating up deliciously as his scent began to make her dizzy. He smelled of sugary apples and musky male. She wanted so much to have to courage to get up and make her way over to where Edward was seated so that she could curl up to him and let his heat and scent encompass her.

It would be the ultimate distraction. Instead of emptying her mind and drifting around in a sea of blankness, she would let her senses take over and just _feel_.

It wasn't something she normally wanted to do, but the way her body chilled and overheated with the different looks he would give her made her want to feel _everything_ with him.

He was large and masculine in every sense of the word. He was thick with muscles and tall with grace. Basketball and football had seen to his physical beauty.

He stood more than a foot taller than her with shoulders, broad like an ocean, and, skin, warm like the sun.

Though he very frequently scowled, growled, glared, cursed, and spat words of contempt at her, she vied for his comfort.

That was something she hated herself for.

She wanted for him to acknowledge her. She wanted for his validation of her. Never in her life had she ever sought someone's approval, but his seemed so _vital_. So necessary.

Soon, the cops were gone and Esme was pushing her to go upstairs and change into something to sleep in. Edward went to follow her, but Esme's voice calling his name stopped him.

"Yeah, mom?" He asked, following her into the kitchen.

Esme was rather tall for a woman. She was toned and able bodied, cutting an imposing figure as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes were pleading. "Tell me it's not true."

"Wha – "

"You _know_ what I'm talking about, Edward," she nearly spat at him through gritted teeth.

He fell into one of the bar stools that surrounded the granite island. His hands found his hair and despair found his heart. "I'm…I'm _sorry_," he stuttered, looking anguished. "I didn't m-mean to. It just…happened," he swore, shaking his head.

"I won't tolerate you hurting that girl, Edward," Esme warned, her eyes flashing.

He stood so quickly the bar stool scraped backwards. "I wouldn't," he pleaded.

"Sit." Esme pointed to the stool. "_Down_." Edward's breaths trembled as he shot several from his nostrils, sitting down. "I can't in good conscience let you –"

"_Let_ me –?"

" – continue this."

"You can't tell me – "

"_Edward_!"

His heart thundered. "I'm _sorry_ for being such a big fucking burden to have to deal with, but tough fucking luck, _mom_."

"Don't take that tone with me, young man," Esme scowled. His lips pressed into a thin line. That was the only apology Esme was getting. She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry," she whispered. His brow furrowed. "It's my fault that you are…the way you are."

His eyes flashed down to his shoes and stayed there. "Mom," he murmured.

"My…my _father_ was just like you Edward," she whispered, shaking her head. "He _hated_ my mother so _so_ much that – "

Edward's eyes snapped up as he interrupted her. "You think I _hate_ Bella?" he snarled, bitterness on his tongue. The last three words falling from his mouth tasted so _wrong_.

Esme blinked, her brow creasing. "Edward…the way you look at her…" She shook her head, not believing there was any other explanation for the rage of emotion that flittered in his eyes whenever his gaze caught Bella's form.

He stood up again and took a step towards his mother. "_Mom_. I _love_ Bella. So _fucking_ much," he choked as the demon inside of him roared in displeasure. His mother's words having riled it from its doze.

She gasped and pressed her palm over her mouth in shock. She took a step towards him, her head shaking. "Edward," her voice trembled.

Her hands found his shoulders and she pulled him into a crushing hug. She couldn't even begin to imagine the war inside of him.

Her father's hate for her mother was inhuman.

But _loving_ someone, in Edward's fragile mental state?

She found herself pitying him.

"You need to tell her," Esme said finally, pulling away from him.

He stiffened. "No."

"_Why_?"

"She'll run away. She'll be disgusted. I-I can't lose her. I _need_ her near me."

"You're in _pain_."

"I'll live," he gritted through his teeth.

"Edward," she tsked, her hands cupping his cheeks. She then whispered the hardest words of her life. "You tell her…or you have to leave."

He gasped, wrenching his face from her grip. He sneered at her. "Why would –"

"I'm your mother," she reasoned, holding back tears. No matter the heart ache he'd caused her all his life, letting her son go would be beyond painful. "I know what's best for you. And that's _not_ being _here_ _without_ _her_."

**OoO**

Bella pushed open the door of the bedroom Esme and Carlisle had set up for her.

Her hands shook as she raked her fingers through her hair, leaning backwards onto the paneled oak door with white flesh.

She was _so _confused…scared? Hopeful.

_God_. She didn't even know.

Never mind the terrifying events that played out in the forest. The strange stir in Edward and Bella's relationship had her heart beating a rough tattoo against her ribcage. Hornets swarmed like rain her in chest. Her eyes fluttered shut as his dark gaze drifted into her vision.

There was a knock on her door just then. Was it possible for such a thing to sound resolute? Because that's how it sounded to her. Resolved. Determined.

She cracked the door, her eyes finding a hard chest. She looked up, fearing letting him in. He took a step forward, and then another. Then he was inside, shutting the door behind him, _locking it_.

Her breaths stuttered and she felt the strangest ache in the pit of her belly. She clenched her thighs against it, thinking, _God, not now_.

Her body rebelled, flushing with fire as his hot hands found her upper arms and his sweet breath found her neck. She felt cold wood against her back; she didn't even realize he'd moved her.

Her lazy perusal of his cheekbones, forehead, furrowed brow, pink lips, and intense gaze, resulted in his hands cupping the back of her neck, pulling her up so that she was leaning on him and standing on the tips of her toes. His other hand reached down to pull her up his body so that her legs were wrapped securely around his own waist.

His lips just out of reach. His mother's ultimatum tearing storms into the fabric of his mind.

Each step up those stairs – all three flights – led to a resounding _fuck, fuck, fuck…_ to fall from his lips. If it were up to him, Isabella Swan would never know his secret. She'd go on to live a happy, _full_, stress free life. Married. Kids. He'd fade into obscurity. Be a distant memory of hers. Some angry boy that sat next to her in biology in high school. Although, he'd always be there. Watching her. Being tortured with her closeness, though she couldn't be further away.

That's what he'd imagined his life turning out to be.

But his mother's unexpected foil in his plan led him to conclude that all he'd deluded himself into believing was a lie. When actually faced with the possibility of never seeing her again, it didn't take him long to arrive at the truth.

_Fuck_, he could never let her go. _Fuck_, he could never see her in the arms of someone else. _Fuck_, he was selfish.

"We have to talk," he demanded, suddenly.

She glared at him and pushed at his chest with weak hands. Defeated and knowing that he wouldn't be budging, she slumped against the door once more.

"_I_ don't _have_ to do _anything_, _Edward_."

_He wanted to flip her on her hands and knees and slam into her until her pink pussy turned red._

He twisted his neck, closing his eyes, reigning in the beast.

His eyes found hers and she pressed herself into the wood, vying for escape suddenly. "You don't," he conceded, knowing that if it were possible, he'd make sure that she'd never in her life have to do something she didn't want to do. He couldn't demand things of her, any more than he could hurt her. "Please," he murmured, trying to convey his need to speak with her.

Her mouth pressed into a line. Those juicy dark pink chapped lips that would look so perfect thrown open in ecstasy, his own mouth working against her little pleasure bean.

The demon rattled its chains, urging him to _take _her. Against that very door.

"Okay," she whispered.

He _desperately_ needed to have her lips beneath his—moving and wilting like rose petals beneath his own insistent mouth. He needed her gasping and tugging his hair as she tried to climb up his body further.

Her lips parted slightly and he had to resist every primal urge in his body that told him to take what was his…what _should_ be his…what was _meant_ to be his. She was meant to be his. Her body fit against his own too perfectly for it not to be an act of Fate that had them in their current position.

There was no way it was a coincidence that Edward arrived at Bella's house just in time to save her from the evil man in her back yard. Fate _wanted_ him to be there so he would save her and ignite an ever burning fire of desire inside of her.

"Edward—" Her words were cut off by the anxious rapping on her bedroom door.

"_Bella_!" Alice screamed desperately. Her mother had already told her that Bella was fine, just a little shaken, but she wouldn't listen. "Bella open up the door right now," Alice ordered.

Bella looked up at Edward. His jaw was clenched and she could see from the movements of the muscles there that he was grinding his teeth. He backed away from her so that she could slide down his body.

His eyes closed weakly as she brushed against his ever-present arousal. He let out a light groan but Alice began to knock again, so he backed into the adjoining bathroom with his eyes still trained on Bella.

As the bathroom door closed, she released a shaky breath and turned around with her forehead pressed against the wood. She took a deep breath before unlocking and opening the door.

Alice stood there, a mess of spiky hair, chiffon, and green eye shadow. She launched herself at Bella, mumbling incoherent apologizes into Bella's neck.

"It's okay, Alice," Bella assured her.

Alice smiled at her weakly—her eyes were still watery and her mascara and eyeliner was running down her cheeks. "Jasper told me he loved me," Alice changed the subject deftly.

Bella smiled and tried not to think of the bronze haired boy, hidden in her bathroom as Alice said that. "I'm so happy for you Alice," Bella whispered as she hugged Alice closer.

Inside the bathroom, Edward was leaning heavily against the sink—staring into the mirror trying to analyze the pause between Alice's declaration and Bella's congratulations. He briefly considered that her thoughts had drifted to him, but he pushed the notion out of his mind completely before he could get his hopes up.

He ran his hands over his face and sighed before heading towards the door that led into the hallway. With his hand on the knob, he paused, not yet ready to give up. He knew that Bella was about to say those words…the words that would have officially brought them together.

He let his hand drop from the door knob and went to sit on the edge of the bathtub—once again, waiting for her.

**OoO**

It was dark when his eyes re-opened. He realized then that he had slipped off the side of the bathtub and was sitting on the floor leaning against it. Judging from the sounds of the night that were coming through the window—he was guessing that it was around midnight.

_She never came_.

He clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath, willing himself not to jump to conclusions. He stood tiredly and moved towards her bedroom door. He found her curled up on the floor just outside the bathroom door.

She had tried to enter. She had sat down on the floor and spent hours willing herself to just open the door, and yet she couldn't find the courage to do so.

He sighed and bent down to take her into his arms. He lifted her easily. He paused and shifted her weight from arm to arm. He realized that she couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds. He frowned. She should weigh more. She was around 5'2'' so she was very much underweight.

With a deep set frown he made his way over to her bed. He pulled the comforters back and set her down. He reached to take his bulky hoodie off of her but stopped when he saw pale flesh glowing in the moonlight.

He realized that she was naked beneath his hoodie. With a gulp, he pulled back and tried not to stare at her long legs or her milky white thighs as he pulled the comforter over her. He looked to the couch on the other side of the room and decided that he was not yet ready to leave her. He made his way to the couch and pulled the afghan from its place on the armrest.

He looked at his feet and raised his eyebrows high into his hairline as he discovered that he still had his tan construction boots on. He tugged them off and looked back at Bella's sleeping form pensively before he retreated to his room across the hall. He changed into his pajamas and grabbed a pillow and sheet from his bed before making his way into Bella's room once again.

She had changed position and was now lying almost horizontally across the bed. He smiled. The unfamiliar tugging of his muscles caused a frown to replace his smile. He rarely ever smiled. Before the heavy lidded passion that had erupted between him and Bella, he wasn't living. He was just being.

He had nothing really. Whiles his sister and one of his best friends had found love, all he had was Jessica—who, most of the times, was just nothing but a bitter and broken harpy.

_Now_, he had a reason to smile, and that reason was lying on the bed across the room—glowing in the iridescent moonlight that spilled through the huge glass window that made up the entirety of the back of the house.

It was almost what he wanted. However, she wasn't naked and he wasn't hovering over her.

Not wanting the sun to wake her too early, he stood from his place on the couch and drew the drapes shut. He fumbled blindly through the darkness before his knee hit the edge of the couch. He fell onto it with a grunt and pulled his sheet and the afghan over his cold body after situating his pillow properly beneath his head.

_He was going to wait for her, no matter how long it would take_.

**A/N: All questions will be answered in due time. Although some of you may say, "Well how do you know what I'm gonna ask?" All I have to say in return is that I'm cooler than you. That's how.**

**It doesn't have to make sense -.-**

**Now hush and tell me what you think :]**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

He woke up to a warm weight on his chest. Peeking through one eye, he saw thick mahogany hair and long fanned out eyelashes. Her fingers were digging into his shirt tightly at his ribs. He looked over at the bed and saw that it was still a mess—there were some pillows on the floor and the comforter had been half dragged off the bed.

He wondered if Bella always slept so restlessly.

But looking down at her on his chest, with her lips moving slightly as she mumbled to herself—she seemed perfectly calm. He reached down to pull her up and tuck her into his side with her back to the couch cushions. He turned on his side as well and drew the sheet and the afghan over their bodies more comfortably.

He turned his head to look at the clock. He noticed that it had only been an hour since he had fallen asleep. He blinked to try to get the sleepiness out of his eyes but only succeeded in making his eyes drier. He closed them and he could feel himself falling back into the abyss once more. A loud and frantic, "No!" woke him right back up.

Bella's hands were pushing against his chest desperately trying to fight off her nightmare. He pushed his hands through her hair and shushed her softly. Her eyes flew open. She gasped as she took in his worried gaze.

She clenched her eyes shut and whimpered as she pushed her face into his chest. Eventually her breathing returned to normal—she was asleep.

He let his brow furrow as his lips pressed against her hair. He sighed as his eyes rolled back into his head at the scent. Her scent was always thick and heady—as if she had just been ravished for hours and had let her arousal drip all over her body.

He was hard against her stomach and the monster in his was grinning, wickedly whispering for him to take what was rightfully his. She wasn't in any position to stop him.

He deepened his breaths and squeezed his eyes shut. He was nearly deflated when Bella shifted and hummed into his chest completely reversing all of the meditating he'd just done. His nipples tightened and the tips of his fingers crept to the small of her back, rising slightly along the curve of her luscious bottom. He clenched his fist into her nightshirt when her fingers found the sides of his torso.

Everything in him fought to tear into her and tear her away from him at the same time. The dizzying scent of her skin alone was enough to make him want to beat off like a deranged animal, teeth bared and hips thrusting.

She moaned in her sleep and stretched-arched into him, unconsciously trying to get comfortable.

She was startled to be yanked from blithering unawareness by a sudden feeling of being topsy turvy. She yawned and blinked her eyes open like a sleepy kitten. Though she was awake, she certainly wasn't _conscious_. If she was, she would've immediately scrambled away from the death eyes the boy pinning her beneath him was giving her.

"_Stop. Moving_," he growled with quiet ferocity.

In response, she smiled slightly and drifted back into blissful obliviousness. He nearly roared with dismay as her eyes closed. Edward ripped his hands from around her wrists and sat up on his haunches, thrusting once into her flat, though _womanly_ stomach. His fingers found the armrests of the plush couch, ripping and tearing into the downy fabric.

His hot breath released in a harsh staccato tattoo against the silky soft skin of her neck.

He was tempted to give her a love bite. The beast within him rattled its cage once before curling up in the corner and whispering, _'Next time.'_

Exhaustion took him. His eyes drifted closed as he clutched her to his chest.

**OoO**

The next morning, at breakfast, he expected her to be awkward around him. They hadn't gotten a chance to talk yet. Alice had woken them up—surprised to find Edward and Bella clutching each other so tightly.

She knew that the day would eventually come when they would finally realize that they were meant for each other—she had prayed that that day would've been sooner, however.

He sighed as he plated some toast and sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Bella dawdled with her bowl of fruit loops before sighing softly and seating herself next to him.

As she slipped into her seat, his eyes flashed up to watch her—he was surprised. His face held a small smile. The corners of his mouth wrinkled as he tried to suppress the urge to full out grin.

He bit into his toast and angled his body towards hers, also noticing that her body was turned in his direction. From the way she was swirling her fruit loops around in her bowl distractedly, he knew that it was a subconscious act. His smile widened. He hid it with another bite of toast and a sip of coffee.

When he was finished he looked back at her. She was leaning back in her chair and staring at the wall opposite her with blank features. He turned a quizzical glance in Alice's direction. She pressed her lips together and stood. She leaned over the table and shook Bella's shoulders lightly.

"Bella?"

Bella jumped slightly. "Yeah?"

Alice forced an easy smile. "You done?" Alice glanced down at the soggy fruit loops—too squishy to even attempt to eat. Edward looked in her bowl as well and frowned.

_No wonder she's too thin_.

Bella nodded and made to stand as Alice whisked her bowl away to the sink. Edward grabbed Bella's wrist and pulled her down again.

Alice raised her eyebrows. "I'm…gonna go…somewhere else," she finished lamely and scurried from the kitchen.

"We have to talk, Bella," Edward reminded her.

Bella shrugged and continued to examine the spots on the wooden table in front of her.

His hand drifted from her wrist to the back of her neck. With his thumb, he stroked the spot right where her ear met her jaw. She shivered and her eyes rolled back into her head as she forgot herself for a moment. With a gasp she arched away from his touch and let her hair fall as a barrier between them. She pushed up from her seat with her fists firmly against the table. "There's nothing to talk about." The crack in her voice proved that even _she_ knew that she was lying. It was no use.

He stood as well and grabbed her waist, spinning her around until she was facing him. She whimpered and pushed at his forearms. "You know perfectly well that we have to talk about _this_." He motioned between their bodies frantically—trying to make her understand that he wasn't going to give up easily.

His hand returned to her hip. She glared at him—angry that he was _making_ her stay where she was.

She pressed at his hands before he relented and let her storm away. "There is nothing to talk about!" She yelled out.

He ran both of his hands through his hair roughly and tugged at it in aggravation. With a growl, he kicked one of the legs of the kitchen table before storming away to hole himself up in his room all day. He heard occasional movement from Bella's room but over all, it was silent.

He heard Emmett thundering up the stairs and pound on Bella's door. He was apologizing profusely about leaving her home alone. Then he began to yell at her because she didn't tell him that she _would_ be home alone…then he apologized for yelling at her.

Her own voice was subdued and remorseful_. As if she had anything to be sorry about_, he thought, rolling his eyes. _Silly girl_.

Her bedroom door shut and then someone was knocking on his door. He sighed and pulled himself off of his bed. He swung the door open to meet Emmett—eyes red rimmed and nose pink.

Edward raised his eyebrows in concern. "You okay, man?" he asked.

Emmett grimaced and nodded. He pressed the back of his hand to his face as if he was about to throw up. He closed his eyes before looking back at Edward. "Thank you," he rasped out. He cleared his throat.

Edward's brow furrowed. "For what?"

Emmett looked at Edward as if he was crazy. "You saved Bella's life…"

Edward chuckled humorlessly and turned away—walking back into his room. "…and then I _promptly_ put her in danger again by being an asshole."

He sat down heavily on the leather couch opposite his bed. "But then you went back and saved her," Emmett pointed out. Apparently Bella had not painted Edward in a bad light when recounting the events of the day before to her brother.

Emmett picked up the large red and grey tennis ball that sat on one of Edward's bookshelves. He tossed it between his hands to distract himself.

Edward smiled. "I'd thought she would tell you I was being a dick so that you'd kick my ass," he said.

"I already know you're a dick to her," Emmett tossed the ball up in the air. "Why is that by the way?" he asked in confusion as his eyebrows knitted together.

Edward shrugged and looked down at his feet. His elbows rested on his thighs as he hunched over in a defeated manner.

"Come on man," Emmett urged as he sat down beside Edward. "I know you're actually a pretty cool guy. Jasper knows it. Your family knows it. But you don't let anybody else see that. _Especially_ my sister."

Edward looked up at Emmett. "I can't help that."

"Why?"

Edward looked at Emmett hard. He may be burly and not as book smart as his little sister but no one could get away with calling him stupid. He noticed things. "I'm not…good."

Emmett scrunched his brow. "You seem a'right to me, bro."

Edward shook his head and buried his hands in his hair once again. "I mean…" Edward sighed and looked up at Emmett. He set his jaw. "I mean I'm really, _really_ fucked in the head."

Emmett chuffed a little and shook his head. "Aren't we all?"

Edward groaned. "Not like this."

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Then how?"

Edward stood and began to pace the length of his room. The beast inside him mirrored him step for step, growing more and more anxious. "We all have a little demon inside of us," Edward began. "Most people can control it."

Emmett shifted uncomfortably. "Right."

"Others, like me, can't," Edward finished. "My grandfather was the same way," he muttered bitterly.

"So you've got a little bit of a temper and for some reason Bella makes it worse?" Emmett surmised, tilting his head to the side and squinting his eyes.

Edward heaved a sigh. "Something like that."

"And that's why you're being a big, floppy, soggy, ass, pussy right now?"

Edward casted Emmett a withering look. "What are you talking about?"

"You like my sister, right? Like even though she pisses you the fuck off, you want her?"

Edward scoffed. "You could say that," he muttered.

"Then stop being all fucking weird about it. She's a big girl. You can't go making decisions for her all willy nilly. Unless you want her to knee you in the balls." Edward winced. "If you wanna be with her, tell her that. Just stop dicking around and get to it already."

Edward frowned, Emmett's words increasing the sense of urgency that plagued Edward ever since his mother made her ultimatum.

Emmett _and_ Esme were right. He had to tell her. She just had to stop hiding.

**OoO**

Alice barged into his bedroom later that evening. "We're heading out, 'kay?"

"Newt's party? You guys are seriously going?" Edward pulled a face.

The petite girl rolled her eyes. "Just to see how lame it is," she explained.

Edward gave her a blank look.

She turned to leave, but not before throwing over her shoulder, "And can you try to _not_ play funeral music all night? You're killing the _Aglaonema_ and its pissing me the fuck off."

Now it was Edward's turn to roll his eyes.

**OoO**

Edward groaned and leaned his head on his forearm, which was propped up on the shower wall. Water filtered down his face like rain and his hand was making a steady up and down motion. Twisting and turning. His breath huffed out like the heavy staccato of a march. A steady stream of, "_Fuck fuck fuck fuck_," was coming from his mouth. Bella was cumming hard around his tongue, a sweaty, writhing mess. The beast was raging at the walls Edward carefully kept. Every thump of his heartbeat wearing away at the solid brick mass.

In the split second that the beast tore the reigns of control from Edward's hands, Bella was flipped on her stomach and filled to the brim with two ragged pumps. Edward erupted, pounding his fist into the wall beside him. Crumbled terracotta rained down on his head as he struggled to regain control.

The beast was snapping its teeth in dismay as Edward rechained him.

The apparition that had tested his control past his bounds filtered out of existence, leaving Edward alone in his shower, teeth clenched and veins protruding with the strain of remaining in the spot he was in.

When the heated water turned icy, Edward was able to begin moving without having to fight the urge to procure Bella's location and make his demented fantasies into realities.

It was only when he exited his bedroom that he realized that he was not alone. Bella's shower was running.

The knowledge that she was completely naked, just feet from him was enough to make him leave dents in the doorjamb, where his fingers were attached as he held on for dear life.

It was then that an idea came to him. She was quite literally _trapped_ in his home, in the middle of the woods, with _him_. And she couldn't do _anything _about it.

Now was his chance to tell her. And then maybe…_show_ her.

He made his way to her bedroom door and slipped inside, like a snake into Eden. Her bed had been made up and her heady scent still lingered thickly in the air. He breathed deeply for a few minutes—trying to absorb as much of the arousing scent as possible.

His mouth had begun to water and his throat ached to taste her lips, her skin, and _her wetness_.

He swallowed thickly and picked up the book that she had on her nightstand. He sat down heavily on her bed and twirled the book in his hands lightly. He grimly acknowledged the fact that within a few moments, his entire life would either change for the worse, or for the better. His breath then caught in his throat.

_The doorknob was turning._

**A/N: Short? Yes, I know. I promise that they'll get longer—into the 5 k range.**

**Review please.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey dudes. Those of you who are reading the Color of Freedom and the Mobster's Son…I apologize for the wait between chapters but school has really been kicking my ass and I'm in a lot of pain right now. I don't feel like going to the doctor because they'll stab me in the arm with needles and miss the vein **_**eight fucking times**_** and then I'll have a bruise…again…**

**It makes no freaking sense…they already know what's wrong with me…kind of.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

The door swung open and Bella stepped out and closed the bathroom door. She turned around and gasped as she met his intense green eyes. "W-what are you doing?" She asked.

He narrowed his eyes at her and set her book down. "I wanted to talk to you," he replied.

"I-I'm n-naked, Edward," she stuttered out, forcing her back against the door behind her.

He stood up off the bed and took slow, menacing strides over to her. "Do you really thing you'd be still standing if you were naked?" his voice was dark. "You would be on _that_ bed, spread eagle, with my face between your legs," he growled.

She gasped and backed into the bathroom door even more. Her skin was flushed pink. Her blush traveled all the way from her cheeks, down her neck, and disappeared beneath her towel.

"Are you naked?" he asked.

"N-no," she said shaking her head.

"Then we can talk," he said.

"I-I just need a minute," she stuttered.

He ground his teeth together and backed away, seating himself on the bed once more. "You have _one_ minute_,_" he said.

She scurried over to the large chest where she kept extra clothes for her overnight stays with Alice. She spent so much time at the Cullen's house; she had her own wardrobe so she wouldn't have to carry a suitcase with her every time she were to stay over.

She got what she needed from the draws and hurried into the bathroom. She locked the door firmly behind her and let her breathing return to normal before changing into her night clothes which consisted of a thin tank top and a pair of Emmett's boxers that had been rolled up at her waist a few times.

Edward in the mean time had made his way out of her bedroom to the hallway. He leaned against the wall opposite the second entrance to Bella's bathroom—knowing that she would attempt to avoid him by escaping out of that door.

A sad smirk spread across his face as he watched the door knob turn. The door swung open then. Bella was looking over her shoulder at the door leading into her bedroom with slight regret. She pulled the door shut and leaned her forehead against it.

She gasped and spun around when two pale hands appeared on the door posts beside her head—blocking any means of escape. She whimpered and pushed herself into the door further. Her hand reached to grasp the door knob but a flash of pale skin and the feel of calloused palms wrapped around her wrist, stopped her.

She looked up at him. He raised an eyebrow. "Are we going to talk now?"

"There's nothing to talk about," she said as she pushed the palm of her free hand against his chest to try to get him to move. She had to fight her natural instinct to caress his muscles from beneath his shirt.

He pressed himself more firmly against her so that her free hand was uselessly trapped between their bodies.

She leaned her head against the door and looked up at him. "I think there is something to talk about," he breathed—letting his sugary peppermint breath wash over her.

His gaze was hard and impenetrable before he backed away from her and pulled her into his room. He seated her on his bed and glared at the boxers that hugged her hips. "Whose are those?" he asked with slight disdain.

"E-Emmett's," she said.

He made his way to his dresser and opened a draw. He pulled out one of his own boxers and handed it to her. She raised her eyebrows at them and took it from his hands. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

"Put it on," he demanded.

"Why?" She looked down at Emmett's boxers. "What's wrong with these?" she questioned.

"They're not mine," he replied.

She looked up at him and sighed before standing and making her way to his bathroom. She felt him following her so she turned around. "I can change on my own, Edward," she said with a huff before looking back up to his eyes.

His gaze was still hard and impenetrable. But there was something else there. Was it…desperation? Her eyes widened as she realized that it _was_ desperation.

"You'll come back?" He questioned. His words were anxious.

She nodded dumbly and disappeared into the bathroom. Two minutes later, she still hadn't emerged. He sighed—defeated—and went to sit on his window sill. He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back against the wall—staring out at the nighttime forest. He felt too rejected to go looking for her again.

But to his surprise, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up with wide, disbelieving eyes. She smiled at him. "I hope you don't mind. I brushed my teeth with your toothbrush." She seated herself opposite him—on the window sill as well; spreading her legs out in front of her. He moved his hands from behind his head and placed them on her feet.

He moved his other leg to that it would trap her between both of his legs. His thumbs traveled up and down the bottoms of her feet soothingly.

He wondered why everything just felt so…_normal_. It was as if the electricity spinning between them had taken a backseat to something more important—their ability to be completely at ease with each other.

They never really noticed it before because they were constantly bickering—but they moved with each other. It was a push and pull motion, like the relationship between the moon and the ocean. They were always in perfect balance with each other.

"What did you want to talk about?" Her voice was sweet and nervous.

He looked up at her with intense eyes. His gaze drifted down her body and down her long legs. He reached up and wrapped his hands around her knees before sliding her all the way over to him. She gasped and grabbed his biceps firmly. Now her legs were folded Indian style and he had his legs folded around _her_ Indian style.

His hands cupped her face gently—a complete contradiction to the storm of violent emotions that she could see in his eyes. His thumbs ghosted over her cheekbones—letting the electricity sizzle between them. He watched—amazed—as a soft blush began to spread across her cheeks.  
Her eyes were downcast and she was suddenly coy. "Why do you keep pulling away?" he questioned.

She shrugged and bit her lip. Her eyes focused on anything but him. His fingers nudged her head to the side slightly, urging her to look at him.

She sighed and looked up at him. Her eyes were sultry and deep. He could almost imagine what they would look like if he was between her legs—urging her to cum on his tongue. He clenched his jaw and let his brow furrow as he saw fear in her eyes.

"Are you just playing with me?" She asked quietly.

He ground his teeth, wondering why someone so beautiful could be so self-conscious. He felt the need to boost her confidence. He wanted to see her hold her head high and spit fire at him. "I'm not," he responded finally.

Besides all of the other emotions in his eyes—lust, desperation, _hunger_—she could see truth. She leaned into his touch. His head had dipped down and his lips played dangerously close to her own. Again, they were in their purposeful dance.

He fought the beast, which was urging him to grasp her hair tightly between his fingers and pull her head down. Ravaging her mouth would be just the beginning.

He was forgetting something though. He was sure of it. He groaned softly as a soft breath escaped her—smelling of fresh peppermint and heady arousal. He fought the urge to snarl and bite her lip harshly—almost enough to draw blood.

He was still forgetting something.

He heard her whimper when his tongue peeked out to wet his lips. He stared up into her eyes. He saw hesitance and wonder. Her gaze was fixed on his mouth with slight apprehension. _She's never been kissed before_, he suddenly remembered.

His subconscious scoffed—clearly not appreciating Edward taking its credit.

Edward bowed his head and pulled away from her. She whimpered in distress—not having anticipated him pulling away from her. He extracted himself from their strangely tangled position and stood up. He held a hand out to her silently.

She took it without hesitance and let him pull her up. He led her out to the hallway and down the stairs to the first floor. He turned a corner and entered a room Bella had never even known or seen before.

He left the lights off—letting the glowing moonlight coming from the windows illuminate the room. There was a shiny black grand piano sitting in the center of the room. To the side there was a small couch. It was old fashioned and pretty—deep burgundy with fading golden treading that made intricate little flowers all along the fabric.

She walked to it on her own and sat down before falling to her side and pulling her legs up. She folded her hands beneath her head and looked up at him.

He was nervously shuffling his feet. "Play for me," she said.

With her skin glowing in the moonlight, and her deep eyes intense and wanton, he complied—seating himself on the bench before the piano.

He settled his fingers over the keys and began to pound out the melody of a song he had written a while before. It was rough and amateur by his standards. But it was part of him—beautiful and simple. He knew she would love it no matter what.

His eyes drifted to where she was sitting. Her body was a curving hourglass against the couch. She had shifted so that her head was propped up by one of her fists. He stumbled for a second but quickly recovered when he noticed that her thin tank top had ridden up to expose a sliver of pale skin between the hem of her shirt and the waistband of his boxers.

He swallowed thickly when she raised herself up so that she was sitting up at the waist. Her hair fell in thick luscious waves and he almost stumbled once again. He cleared his throat quietly before looking back at his hands moving over the ivory keys of his piano.

He heard her moving about before her body slid onto the bench beside him. She turned to straddle the bench so that she was staring directly at him.

Her gaze was intense—burning into the side of his head like lasers. She reached her hand up hesitantly to trace the contours of his face. As soon as her finger touched him she felt him shudder. His eyes closed for a fraction of a second as he felt the tension between them ignite even more.

As he played, she continued to trace his face. She followed the path of one of his bluish veins down his neck. The muscles of his shoulders tensed as her fingers drifted over them. His skin was hot and pale—ready to be licked. His skin was smooth and his scent was permeating the air between them.

He could smell her too.

Thick, heady, and wet—she was ready for him.

Her fingers began to journey towards the back of his neck where she curled a stray lock of hair around her finger and tugging slightly.

The song ended abruptly and her wrist had been captured in his large calloused hand. "Are you quite through with your exploration?" he asked in a breathless growl.

"Not even close." Her voice was equally as breathless yet it hid the slightest bit of fear. The hand he had wrapped around her wrist drifted up her arm to her shoulder and then to the back of her neck.

She eyed him cautiously. Her gaze drifted down to his lips. There was a wet trail of saliva on the inner part of his bottom lip. She seemed mystified by it so she reached up to trace over it. She gathered the slight wetness on her finger before bringing it to her mouth.

Her tongue peeked out and licked at the tip of her index finger. He tasted of sugar and peppermint—sin and musky male. She moved her finger back to his lips before wiping it along his bottom lip—letting him taste her own mouth.

He licked his lips and closed his eyes as if he was in pain. When they opened they were dark jade and glistening ebony. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers in silent yearning. His eyes pleaded with her to say the words that would make her his.

"Kiss me," she whispered in a gasping breath.

His hands trembled as they moved to cup her cheeks. It was an epic moment for her and he knew that. It would be the first time they kissed—the first time he ever kissed someone.

When he lost his virginity to Jessica, they had made up a no kissing rule.

She let her eyelids fall close with a shuddering breath and he did the same as he tilted his head down.

When his lips _finally _pressed against hers, it was nothing like she expected. She expected to be ravaged. She expected him to wrap her hair around his wrist and intertwine his fingers with her locks. She expected his teeth to dig into her lip and her tongue—to clash with her own teeth as his violent lust took over.

Instead, it was nothing but a small peck. He had pressed his lips to hers chastely. He gasped as she did—shocked by the suddenly unbearable current between them. As his hot breath washed over mouth, her lips parted ever so slightly.

He took it as another opportunity to lean down once more and kiss her. His top lip entered his mouth as he massaged her bottom lip between his own lips.

She gasped and let her tongue sneak out and lightly trace over his top lip.

They set an easy yet intense rhythm of give and take. It was his own lack of experience and her own innocence that allowed them to cling to each other and the new powerful electricity between them.

Nothing could tear them apart.

He pulled away gasping for air yet _needing_ her even more. She pulled him back by his shoulders and let his lips continue to love her swollen pink flesh. She finally allowed her hands to drift up from his shoulders into his soft hair. She yanked on it—urging him to stop being so gentle. But he stayed his ground, caressing her lips with soft sweet movements.

_Breaking glass_.

He pulled away from her and pressed his palm to her lips to silence her harsh breaths. He cocked his head to the side and listened.

There were more sounds—more glass being broken, the muted click of a lock being turned…_opened_…and then heavy footsteps.

_Someone was in the house._

**A/N: Talk about some major UST right? I know you love it, pervs.**

**Review please.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey people. I'm trying to space out updates more…so sorry…daily updates may not be happening for a while.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

_Footsteps_.

They were heavy and booted. Edward stood silently and pulled Bella up with him. He tucked her underneath his arm and made his way towards the wall of glass that made up part of the room.

She watched on with rapt attention as he pushed on a panel of glass. It was a door. It swung open, leading out into the dark forest.

"Hide, Bella," Edward nearly growled. The beast was panting with blood on its breath. If Edward had to, he'd kill to protect her.

She looked back at the daunting forest and quickly looked back at him. "No!" she exclaimed. "Don't leave me, please Edward," she sobbed softly.

Edward clenched his jaw and pushed her out of the house. Once they were a few feet into the forest he pushed her behind a large oak tree. "Stay here," Edward said as he pulled away from her.

Her grip on his wrist was persistent however. He turned and sighed her name, "Bella."

She clung to him and hid her face in his chest. Her tears seeped through his shirt easily. With her warm heat pressed up against his body and her tears forming stains on his shirt, he easily complied with her request.

Looking back at the house and back at Bella, he was decided. "Come on," he whispered as he led her into the forest.

It was pitch black. The only light came from the moonlight seeping in through the thick trees. It wasn't enough for her, but for him, it was like daytime. He easily navigated them through the trees—pulling her to his chest when the eerie sounds of the night seemed to draw her in and make her stray _away_ from him.

He tried to stick to paths that we're covered in leaves instead of twigs, since they were both bare foot.

Finally, as the chilly air began to sting her cheeks she had the sense to ask where they were going.

She paused and folded her arms over her stomach. "Where are we going?" She asked in a muted, shivering, whisper.

He looked back at her and whispered a low, 'shit', as he finally took notice of her attire. She was dressed in nothing but a tank top and his boxers. He pulled her back to his body and lifted her shivering form easily.

Her skin was ice cold—as if she had been lying in a snow drift for hours. Again, he cursed. "Why didn't you tell me you were so cold?" He asked.

She responded with a simple shrug and pressed her face into his chest. She breathed out against his shirt and let the heat of her breath warm her skin. She heard a low rumble in his chest—a building growl that never made it past his throat because of what stood in front of them as he pushed his way through a bush.

A small cottage stood feet away between the brush and the evil night. "Edward," she whispered in awe.

He held her closer as he made his way to the cottage. Once he punched in the code that disabled the alarm system, he opened the door. Once inside, Edward set Bella down on an antique looking couch before making his way to the fireplace.

With the simple turn of a knob, the fire began to roar. He picked her up again and set her down on the carpet, in front of the fire. "Stay here," Edward begged her. She nodded.

He stood up quickly and made his way into an adjoining room. It was the security room, where the walls were covered by TV's illustrating the house, the driveway, and every exit to the property.

He quickly typed in the pass code that allowed him access to the computers. He flicked through the screens, looking for the intruder.

He quickly found him…walking right into Bella's bedroom. The beast tore at its cage.

Edward pressed his hand to his mouth and cursed. He found his cell phone quickly and dialed 911 once again. Kenya picked up the phone.

Her voice was tired but immediately perked up upon hearing of the intruder at the Cullen's house. She said that she would be there with a few other officers.

Because the town was so small and because of the lack of crime, the Cullen's didn't have an alarm that signaled the police automatically if there was a break in.

He ended the call and kept an eye on the door leading into Bella's room. He observed the police officers—rusty and jerky in their movements—as they closed in on Bella's door.

They entered her room swiftly and cleared it of someones presence. All there was, was an open window—the white curtains flowing eerily with the wind.

Edward was already streaming the live video into the station's mainframe so that they could observe the man more closely to get a photo or at least something that told them what he looked like.

Kenya called Edward and told him what they found—nothing. No footprints or fingerprints, or stray hairs, just broken glass and an open window.

Edward sighed and leaned back in the chair after the disappointing phone call. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. He already felt stubble peeking from his skin.

He stood quickly and made his way back to Bella. He found her stretched out in front of the fire—like a cat basking in sunlight.

He bent down in front of her and traced his fingers reverently over her face. She stirred and whimpered before her eyes fluttered open. Her heartbeat quickened upon looking into his intensely green eyes.

"Bella," he whispered with awe. The heat of the fireplace had caused her skin to flush pink. She shifted against the carpet—cocking her head to look at him better.

"Why?" She asked vaguely.

His brow furrowed. "Why, what?" Edward asked.

"Why now?" She questioned. "Why'd you choose _now_ to show me that you like me?" Her voice had become coy and uncertain by the end of her question.

His breath caught in his throat and he spoke before thinking. "I don't just _like_ you Bella." He looked away nervously—staring into the fire, almost wishing that it would reach out and swallow him whole. Almost.

Her fingers grazed his cheek. "You're blushing," she whispered.

His eyes flashed back to hers. His breath caught upon seeing relief and mirth in her eyes. "I thought you hated me," she whispered. Her hand traced down to his wrist—pulling him onto the floor beside her.

He sighed and moved closer to her. "I didn't…I could never," he responded quietly.

"Good," she said. He laid beside her, pushing his forearm beneath her neck so that it would act as her pillow. She curled up to his side and sighed heavily.

"The house is empty," Edward said, breaking the silence. She stiffened in his arms.

"They didn't find anything?" Bella's voice was nothing but a squeak. He shook his head 'no'. She thought for a minute. "I don't wanna go back," she mumbled into his chest. His fingers massaged circles into her back to calm her.

"We'll stay here then," Edward responded—reluctantly pulling away from her. She mewled softly to show her distress. He pulled her up and into his arms. She sighed and settled herself in his arms. He walked down a short hallway that led away from the living room.

Carlisle had built the cottage just in case his job in Seattle got too close to Forks. He was afraid that with all the psychotic people he was able to protect people from; one of them was bound to hold a grudge.

As Edward was making his way through the dark forest earlier, he remembered back to when he was just ten years old and the cottage had just been built.

His father had blindfolded him during the night and shoved him into the forest, guiding him to the cottage. Blindfolded and weary, Edward had to make his way back and forth between his house and the cottage until he had the route ingrained in his memory. Alice had done something similar, but during the daytime hours.

He sighed and set her down on her feet. He watched as she adjusted her tank top. The small sliver of pale untouched skin that had been revealed made him want to push her up against the wall and lick her skin until it smelled _only_ of him.

Instead he held her small hand in his palm and led her into the room.

He led her to the bed. She sat down gingerly and looked around. Edward walked to the large French doors that led out into the garden just outside the cottage. He drew the shades open and sighed—clenching his eyes shut before turning to look at her. His eyes opened slowly.

She was lying back on the bed with her one of her arms thrown up beside her head. Her long hair was dark—dangling over the side of the bed and almost reaching the floor. Her eyelids were closed. He could see the tiny bluish blood vessels that branched across her eyelids, down her neck, across her chest. They ran down her arms and her legs.

Her other hand was lying against her stomach, curled into a small fist. Even though her expression was serene and calmed…emotions stormed violently inside of her.

His eyes had darkened considerable as he looked at her. Again, she was in his bed with the moonlight glistening though the windows, looking like a lost wood fairy against his silky deep green sheets. All she was missing were wings made of oak leaves.

He found himself crawling into the bed. He hovered over her and traced his index finger along her skin—watching her turn pink. Her breaths were coming out quicker as his finger drifted lower. His hand paused at her clenched fist.

He slowly pried her hand open and intertwined his fingers with her own. He flattened his palm against hers and spread his fingers out. Her entire hand was just slightly larger than the palm of his own. His gaze drifted up to where she was watching him intently.

She grasped his fingers tightly and sat up—letting her hair fall down her back and drape over her folded up legs. He watched curiously and completely enthralled by its length. It looked silky with thick curls and tiny spindly stray curls.

When she stood, he knew that it reached all the way to her thighs.

His free hand pushed into her hair and pulled it over her shoulder so that it fell over her breasts and down her stomach—pooling at the part between her legs. He felt his body react as he imagined her naked with just her hair clothing her.

"Kiss me," she commanded again.

He swallowed thickly and shook his head slowly. Her eyes colored with rejection.

He leaned in closer to her. "It won't just be a _kiss_, Bella," he whispered as the monster within him scratched at the floor, like a bull ready to charge.

She whimpered and pushed her hands behind his head, urging him forward. "I don't care," she begged as she felt her body heat up more and more with his gaze.

"You will care…eventually," he said.

"Not if it's with you," she pleaded.

His eyes softened—returning to their glowing summer green.

She saw the visible changes in his eyes as he pushed his need to ravage her aside as the need to make her feel special prevailed. She whimpered as he finally lowered his head, letting his lips drift just centimeters from her own.

She breathed out impatiently. It was enough to make his smirk softly at her. His hand drifted up into her hair and again, she found herself breathing hard as his lips inched closer.

Finally, with one small yet seemingly monumental movement, his mouth pressed against hers softly. He resisted the urge to growl. He had always expected her kisses to be _exactly_ like how he imagined—her lips like wilting rose petals. Instead, her lips were chapped and rough yet sweet and just _her_.

He sighed and bit her bottom lip—pulling her closer, trying to reign himself in before he did something that would scare her.

She whimpered with irritation as he pulled away. "We should sleep," he said. His voice was gravelly and deep, showing that he _definitely_ didn't want to sleep.

She nodded despite her obvious want for him. She laid back compliantly and pulled him with her. He chuckled and settled his head besides hers on her pillow.

Her eyes were already drifting closed—heavy with exhaustion.

As he watched her fall asleep, he thought over the events of the day. He noted the stupidity of it all—how his father never had the sense to install a security system for the house itself. He wondered if Kenya had contacted his parents—who were spending the night in Port Angeles after seeing a play at the local theater.

He would analyze the video feed later—knowing that he would probably spot something the police missed.

He groaned as her hand spread across his chest. Looking at her eyes, he noted that she was indeed asleep. He grabbed her wrist and rolled her onto her back—holding her wrist into the bed.

She whimpered before settling down again.

His nose was buried in her neck where her scent was especially thick. He felt his groin burst with need as her scent began to cloud his mind even more. A low rumble echoed in his throat as she unconsciously pressed her hip into him.

He shivered and gripped her wrist tighter before inhaling again. He found himself inhaling more and more deeply. His mouth watered as he imagined what it would taste like to have her wetness dripping down his chin as he lapped at her.

His tongue peeked out of his mouth and began to trace her veins. "Edward," she whimpered. He merely growled and sucked on the spot where her ear met her jaw. "You'll leave a mark," she warned.

"Good," he panted.

Her hand's pushed at his chest half-heartedly. "What if Charlie sees it? Or Emmett?" she pointed out.

He growled. "Let them," he said before sucking some of her flesh into his mouth and biting down. She groaned loudly.

"I can't Edward. They can't see," she whimpered, pulling his head tighter against her neck, feeling utterly helpless to him as he was still holding her wrist down and was hovering over her—daring her to move.

"You said you wouldn't care, as long as it was with me," he grunted.

She arched her body into his. He growled—loud and animalistic as he released her neck with a wet sucking sound.

He grabbed her hips tightly and pulled her flush against his groin. He felt his pleasure strengthen tenfold as her heated body connected with his wanton flesh. She whimpered as he ground into her roughly.

The sound pulled him back to reality and within seconds he was across the room. He paced in front of the French doors with his hands buried in his hair. He cursed low and smooth in a light growl.

"Edward," she whispered. She got to her knees on the bed.

He looked back at her. Quickly, he clenched his eyes shut and turned away. "_Fuck_," he cursed.

"What's wrong?" her voice was closer. Seconds later her hands were drifting along his biceps.

He groaned as her fingers sparked fire in his blood. He spun around quickly and grabbed her wrists—pinning her against the wall. His breaths were harsh and his eyes were wild.

She looked up at him completely unfazed by his sudden change of attitude. "What's wrong?" she asked once more.

He glared at her, wondering if she really was so naïve. "Either you enjoy torturing me or you're really fucking stupid," he growled.

She bristled and attempted to yank her wrists from his hold. "You've already made your views on my intelligence quite clear."

"Apparently not clear enough," he growled. He scowled at her, demanding her to release her bewitching hold on him. Never in his short life has he experienced such desperate attraction—the need to rip and tear and suck and bite—_fuck_.

She raised a defiant arching eyebrow. "Intelligence. Noun. The ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations. Latin origins…fourteenth century," she smirked up at him with seductive eyes.

"_Fucking tease_," he growled, pushing his erection against her more firmly. She whimpered and almost lost it as she felt his need escape his body in waves of lust.

She looked up at him again and continued. "Tease. Noun or verb. Provoking someone with persistent annoyances; to mock or make fun of playfully." She arched into him.

"_Enough_," he growled.

She smirked at him. "Enough. Sufficient to meet a need or satisfy a desire; _adequate_," she groaned suggestively as his fingers tightened around her wrist. "Indo-European roots," she finished.

"You've made your point," he growled.

She looked up at him through her lashes. "Good. Now tell me what's wrong."

He clenched his teeth together. "You…fucking…" he trailed off, not knowing how to continue. "You don't know?" he asked incredulously.

She shook her head and looked concerned.

"Fucking _everything_," he said in a defeated whisper as he bowed his head.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I finally—_finally_—have you and some fucking _lunatic_ wants to take you away from me." His eyes were pleading and sorrowful, betraying the depth of his feelings to her. His pleading gaze turned into a scowl as he glared at her. "…and you decide to be a fucking _tease_," he said. His lips pursed slightly in a small pout.

She stared up at him in utter surprise. She had thought that he only just _wanted _her physically. The thought flattered her immensely—that a beautiful perfect boy wanted her so much it was driving him insane. But seeing him look so helpless made her realize that it wasn't her body he wanted…he wanted _all_ of her.

She reached her hands up and pushed against his shoulders until he walked backwards. The backs of his knees hit the edge of the bed so he sat down heavily. She crawled on top of him—straddling his waist and wrapping her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his shoulder, kissing his skin right over his heart.

She sighed in contentment as his arms clenched tightly around her waist. She could feel his fingers digging into the skin on her back as he clutched the fabric of her tank top in his fists. His entire body was shaking.

She felt everything he was feeling. She could feel his lust—his hardened length against her bottom. She could feel his desperation for her as he held her—not in a lovers embrace…nothing meant to arouse her body—an embrace meant to show her that he _needed_ her. Every part of her.

She felt his heart thundering against her ear drum. She felt his most violent emotion.

_Fury_.

**A/N: And there you have it…Sweetward/Hottward…awwww ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: There's a definite warning for this chapter. I did warn you in the beginning that there's some pretty heavy stuff in this story. I don't want complaints because again, I **_**did**_** warn you guys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Whiles Bella was sleeping soundly, he had picked her up and trudged his way back to the house in the early morning frost. It was strictly for Emmett's benefit. Edward knew that Emmett and Charlie had probably already been informed about the break-in. Emmett would probably immediately seek Bella's presence as soon as he had the opportunity.

He stood in the hallway between his room and Bella's, for what seemed like hours when it had in fact only been mere seconds. He couldn't decide on where he should let her continue her rest. He knew that if he put her in his room, Emmett would quite possibly pummel him for not asking his permission first.

Edward shook his head at his thoughts before he turned into Bella's bedroom and set her down on the bed. Her fingers were insistent and unyielding as she clutched the front of his shirt in her fist. He stretched his shirt out as he grasped her wrist lightly and kissed her fingers until she released his hold on him.

Once again, he found himself on her couch. He turned his head to look at where she was restlessly turning in her sleep. He hated watching her writhe around as if she was being tortured by her dreams—nightmares. If he could, he knew that he would fight her nightmares off, no matter how ridiculous or _perilous_ her minds subconscious adventures would be.

His ears perked up in a strangely feline manner when he heard a noise coming from the hallway. He heard quick jerking footsteps before Bella's bedroom door was being shoved open. A large, heavily breathing figure pushed through the doorway to Bella's bedside.

Edward had already stood—his legs spread apart and his shoulder's broad. He resisted the urge to crouch low in front of her in an animalistic, protective way. His mind wandered for a brief moment as he wondered why he would even _think_ of resorting to something so feral in order to protect what was his from her _brother_.

Emmett kneeled on the floor beside her and flicked on the lamp on the nightstand. The low watt light bulb casted an eerie yellow glow over everything—creating shadows that looked more like monsters than furniture.

Edward maintained his poised position—disbelieving in the fact that he was willing to rabidly attack the armoire for the sake of her safety.

He mentally scoffed at himself. For so long he had prevented anyone from knowing and seeing the lengths he would go to, to keep someone safe. Now, looking at Bella asleep and unaware of her brothers absolute devotion to her, he realized that his overbearing protectiveness might drive her insane.

She was an exceptionally naïve girl. She probably didn't realize that by saying those two words…those one syllable words…a small command with the heaviest of implications…_'Kiss me'_, she had already signed her death certificate with her last name as 'Cullen'.

Unfortunately for Edward, he couldn't really be sure of his assumptions about her naivety. She had already proven more than once that she was an intelligent girl. The only problem was that she had no idea how to use her intelligence to keep herself safe.

When Emmett had told them about the first night…the night Bella's truck's tires were slashed, he could hardly believe that she would be stupid enough to walk through a dark parking lot…at night…alone. A million different scenarios had flooded through his mind at once of all of the varying possibilities that would've only required one or two seconds of changes.

If Emmett had sneaked up on her just a minute later…she probably wouldn't even be alive.

Edward rubbed his eyes tiredly. _We are watching _way_ too much 'Law and Order'_, his subconscious said as it tapped its foot and crossed its arms over its chest.

Edward opened his eyes and watched Emmett lovingly stroke Bella's cheek. From his place by the footboard, he could see that Emmett's hands were shaking almost as if he was having a seizure. After whispering silent words into Bella's ear, he stood up on trembling legs.

"It almost happened again," he said.

He was leaning against the hallway wall with his knees pulled up to his chest. Edward was leaning against the wall opposite him with his arms folded over his chest.

"Emmett…stop," Edward warned tiredly. He didn't want to deal with Emmett's undeserving self-loathing. Emmett was the model brother—almost fatherly in his concerns, although his advice was definitely meant for the younger generation.

Emmett shook his head and buried his face between his knees. Edward turned to look towards the stairs where a small head emerged from the lower steps.

Alice had wiped all of her makeup off and pulled her hair into two loose ponytails situated on either side of her head. Edward smiled at her. She had adopted Bella's habit of wearing her brother's clothes.

The day after laundry day was always the worst. Something would be missing from his closet that he would find Alice wearing or clutching to her chest as she slept.

Again, there was just something about being someone's little sister that made both Bella and Alice feel protected by their older brothers' mere scent. She smiled softly. "She's gonna be fine—"

"No! She's not," Emmett interrupted. He shook his head and spoke in a thick voice. He leaned his head back so that it thumped heavily against the wall. He did it three more times until Edward was yelling for him to stop.

Emmett glared at him. "If you are _really_ thinking about starting a relationship with my sister…there are some…things…you need to know."

Edward swallowed thickly. "What kind of things?" he asked nervously as he slid down the wall to sit across from Emmett. Alice sat down too—not caring in the least that the hardwood floors were freezing cold.

Alice looked on with curious eyes.

Emmett rubbed his eyes and pounded his head with his fist twice before groaning and then sighing. He looked Edward in the eye. "Bad things," he whispered.

Edward nodded and looked down at the cracks on the floor. He clenched his fist and ground his teeth together. "Who hurt her? And how painful should their death be?" He asked.

Emmett scoffed thinking that Edward was joking. But upon seeing the dead serious expression of total devotion and absolute determination on Edward's face…Emmett realized that Edward was making a serious threat.

Emmett weighed his options.

If Edward never found out what had happened, Bella might never get the revenge she deserved. But…Edward was rich. His father owned a prestigious body guard agency in Seattle that had their own private investigator. Edward could very _easily_ find people. Edward had the resources and the money to kill someone and cover it up.

Emmett flicked his head to the side to crack his neck. "Uh…last year…we came to Forks after Renee," he sneered her name, "our _mother_, kicked Bella out of the house." He ran his hands over his face tiredly.

"Why would she…" Edward trailed off.

Emmett shrugged despite his discomfort. He felt as if he was going behind Bella's back in telling Edward everything. But he also knew that Bella herself would never be able or willing to relive all the details. "Our mom had…gotten married to some…_fucking_ dead-beat." Emmett swiped a hand over his face. His eyes were red rimmed already as he remembered the day his world came crashing down on him. His sense of security had been lost that day. The realization that sick disgusting _perverted_ people were _out there_…living...had made him vomit on quite a few occasions.

_It was a sunny afternoon as Emmett trudge his way down the burning sidewalk to his house. He could see a thick layer of haze that covered the horizon—making cactuses and distant sandy hills fade into one messy blob of heat._

_He swiped at his forehead with the back of his hand. The layer of sweat he wiped off was replaced within seconds. He dribbled the basketball—carefully keeping it away from the cracks in the sidewalk so that it wouldn't ricochet onto the street._

_The palm trees were perfectly still because of the lack of wind. Somehow, an eerie air crept about him…chilling him to the bone._

_As soon as his orange, adobe style house moved into his line of sight, he forgot the bad feeling and he sprinted towards it, knowing that sweet iced tea and air conditioning would be awaiting him._

_As soon as he bounded up the porch steps and entered the house, the bad feeling returned full force. The sound of breaking glass called his attention to the second floor of his house. He quickly bounded up the stairs with heavy footsteps._

_Upon hearing more indistinct sounds he shoved his way into Bella's bedroom_.

He sighed and swallowed thickly. "My step-_father_ is a sick fuck that deserves to die…" Emmett ended his statement with a jutted out chin and eerily calm eyes.

"Oh god," Alice gasped. "He didn't…" she paused before whispering, "rape her…"

"Alice!" Edward snarled.

She flinched and looked back into the murderous gaze of her brother. She looked down. "I had to ask, Edward."

He was already on his feet pacing around like a caged animal. "What did he do?" he demanded Emmett.

"He _punished_ her," Emmett scoffed as he remembered his mother's words.

"_Something has to be done about her, Emmett," his mother chastised. "Ever since I found happiness in Phil, her grades have been slipping, she stopped eating…she wants _attention_." His mother rolled her eyes as he kept the sneer on his face perfectly intact._

_Bella was cowering in his room._

_After he had pushed into her room a terrifying sight greeted him before blackened rage filled his eyes with blood and he launched himself at the man hovering over his sister._

_Phil was in the kitchen sitting with an ice pack to his face._

"_She doesn't _fucking_ want _attention_," Emmett snarled._

_Phil stormed into the room. "You will not speak to your mother in that tone," he warned._

"_Or what?" Emmett challenged. Phil's face twisted in anger but he stepped back…not wanting a repeat of what had happened upstairs. "Why didn't you tell me about these _punishments_?" Emmett demanded._

"_They were none of your business," his mother stated matter of factly. "She needed to be punished."_

"_What he did to her…" Emmett trailed off as his voice grew louder and inconceivable anger twisted his insides up painfully. "…that's not fucking punishment…that's abuse."_

_His mother rolled her eyes. "He only ever hits her when she's too much for me to handle."_

"_He wasn't hitting her!" Emmett roared as he took deliberate and threatening steps towards his mother. Her eyes widened but she stayed her ground with curiosity._

"_Then what was he doing?" she asked—bored._

"_He was trying to shove his dick into her mouth!" Emmett snarled as his lips curled over his teeth and his hands clenched into hard fists. "How many times? How long has this been going on?" Emmett demanded._

_Renee's eyes had hardened. She shook her head in dismay. "I've raised her well enough…I don't know how she turned into a slut," she said._

_Emmett growled and extended a hand out—slapping her so hard across the face she fell to the floor. Phil rushed to her side but Emmett pulled him up by his collar. "What else have you done to her?" He growled as he pushed his fist into his stomach. _

_Phil merely shook his head. "That was the first time I tried anything, I swear," he cowered._

"_If I ask her and she's tells me anything different, I'll fucking _end_ you," Emmett growled. He released Phil._

_Renee stood up unsteadily. "I want her out of my house…she's trying to ruin my marriage by seducing my husband," Renee smoothed her hair back only to be sprawled out on the floor once more when Emmett slapped her other cheek_.

"What do you mean by…'punished her'?" Alice asked in a shaky voice. She too had risen to her feet and paced in front of Bella's bedroom door.

"He would hit her…" Emmett's voice faltered. "That last day…he was trying to put his…" he gasped and wiped at his eyes. "He tried to make her…" he paused again, unable to think of a way to say it.

"If you fucking say it…I'll kill him myself," Edward warned. Edward didn't want to know. All he needed to know that it was depraved enough for Emmett to be unable to say it out loud.

Emmett looked up at him. "He tried to put his dick in her mouth," Emmett stated.

Edward let out a roar. "And your mother let him?" he growled as he stalked off towards the stairs. "I'll fucking kill them _both_," he promised as he made his way to his father's study.

He had a few phone calls to make.

"Why'd you tell him?" Alice demanded with tears in her eyes. "You knew he would react this way…" her voice trailed off in realization.

Emmett stood up silently. "And now, two very sick people are going to turn up dead…and my sister will stop having nightmares about _him_." Emmett stormed down the stairs, ready to follow Edward and help him find Renee and Phil.

Alice watched as he disappeared down the stairs. She huffed and turned to go into Bella's room. When she opened the door Bella was standing right there—having heard everything that just happened.

Her eyes were watery and downcast. "Bella?"

"I don't want them dead Alice," Bella whispered.

Alice bit her lip contemplatively. "They're going to end up that way one way or another, Bella," she said.

Bella looked down at her feet. "I know."

**OoO**

Emmett paced back and forth as he supplied Edward with all of Renee and Phil's information. The P.I. seemed sketchy…as well as determined to be referred to as Jenks, not Mr. Jenks.

Edward hung up the phone and looked at the large grandfather clock ticking away in the corner of the room. It was already past three in the morning. "We should get some sleep," Edward said.

Emmett nodded but looked distracted. "When will this Jenks guy get back to you?" Emmett asked.

Edward shrugged. "Could be tomorrow or a week…I'm not sure."

They were both distracted. It could've been the anticipation and the need to protect Bella or it could just be the fatigue that came along with the man and woman stalking Bella.

The fact that there was absolutely no sign of them was extremely disconcerting.

They made their way to Bella's room.

She was sitting on the window sill staring out with blank eyes. Alice was leaning against the wall opposite—gnawing on her thumbnail with worried eyes. Alice's eyes held a silent warning when she turned to them to acknowledge their presence.

It was as if a switch had been flipped and before long Bella's eyes were trained on both Edward and Emmett. Her gaze shifted between the two as if she were a trapped animal preparing for an attack it knew it wouldn't survive.

She couldn't fight them and she knew it. She was certain that she would end up burying herself in her brother's chest or falling into Edward's arms to eagerly reach his lips.

Ignoring any sense of self-preservation she kept hidden away for _special_ occasions, her gaze settled on Emmett. It was eerily calm yet fiery and toxic. "You had no right," she forced through her clenched teeth.

Emmett looked down. "He has a right to know," he said, motioning to Edward as he stepped forward.

"I didn't want him to," Bella said as she too looked away.

Edward glared at Bella. "Why would you want to keep something like that from me?" he growled.

Her eyes flashed to his. "It's none of your business," she said.

"It's none of my…It's none of my business?" Edward said incredulously with a jeering undertone to his words.

Bella pressed her lips together but stood her ground. She nodded before enunciating it once more. "_None_ of your business," she reiterated.

"It is my fucking business!" He yelled.

She backed away from him slightly—one meager step backward that showed just how much she was affected by what had happened in Phoenix.

The only sounds in the room were Edward's heavy breaths and the sticky sound of Emmett clenching and unclenching his sweaty hands. Bella's eyes were trained on the ground and her eyebrows had pulled together like they usually did when she was lost in thought.

"Enough," Alice said softly as she looked between the three of them.

She turned to Emmett. "You had no right to tell Edward, _Bella's_ secret." Emmett opened his mouth to defend his actions but stopped himself when Alice gave him a hard glare.

Alice turned to Edward. "Don't yell," she warned. Edward looked away—ashamed.

Bella had drifted from her reverie and stared into Alice's green eyes as she waited for what Alice would say to her. Alice's gaze was impenetrable. "Stop being afraid," Alice pleaded in the most even voice she could muster.

Alice sniffled and sighed deeply. "We all need sleep," she reasoned before turning to walk out the door.

Emmett stared at his sister before turning and leaving. His footsteps were angry yet his heart was heavy with remorse.

He knew it was wrong to make her think that he was angry with her but he couldn't help it. He had told Edward for Bella's benefit. _Or your own_, his subconscious whispered deviously.

Emmett paused on the staircase as he pondered that thought. For so long he had felt the constant lump in his throat that even his new found love in Rosalie couldn't get rid of. He knew that the only way the choking feeling would leave him was if the source of his sister's anguish was gone from this earth forever.

Emmett, in his own clumsy and misguided way, thought that if Renee and Phil were gone, his sister would feel relief as well. He didn't realize the shame Bella felt for what Phil had tried to do to her. Emmett was a man who rarely showed feelings except in front of his sister. Rosalie had already grown used to his coldness. She herself wasn't the most heartwarming person.

He wasn't someone that understood _emotions_ or even acknowledged them except when it came to Bella. He had an especially soft spot for her. She was his weakness.

Most people would argue that your soul mate should be the key to your ultimate downfall, but for Emmett, that just _couldn't_ happen. If Rosalie were to be taken away from him, he would fight to the end for her. He would do unspeakable things to make sure she was returned to him unharmed.

But if Bella were to be taken from him…he would crumble. He would break into a million pieces and nothing would fix him until she was back in his arms—burying her face in his chest like she had done thousands of times; making fun of his cumbersome form trying to accomplish the simplest of tasks, like putting his shoes on without sitting down.

He sighed and continued on his way, down to the guest room on the first floor where he would call Rosalie despite the late hour and assure her of Bella's safety.

In the mean time, Bella's room had become thick with tension. Edward's eyes held a steady glare as he looked at her. She stared back with an equally intense glare.

In frustration, he grabbed his hair in his hands and spun around, walking out her door and slamming it behind him heatedly.

She pursed her lips and made her way to her bed. She pushed herself beneath the covers before turning to switch the lamp off. She laid in the darkness and pondered how quickly everything had changed.

Just a few hours earlier, she had shared her first kiss with the beautiful brooding boy that teased her endlessly. Now, he wasn't even speaking to her. She wondered if he felt disgusted by the fact that she had almost been tainted by a perverted old man. She wondered if he was only threatening to kill Renee and Phil for Emmett's benefit.

Emmett was after all, one of Edward's best friends.

Maybe it was all just a cruel joke. Maybe he didn't care for her at all. Maybe he just wanted to know how it would feel to kiss her chapped lips. Would it feel different than the smooth, sticky, glossed lips of all the eager girls that went to their school?

Her breath quickened as her mind ran rampant.

She turned on her side and watched as the numbers on the alarm clock changed. Soon, an hour had passed and she barely even remembered blinking. She heard movement outside her door but ignored it. A soft creaking was heard as her door opened. A dark shadow spread across the floor as someone stood in the doorway. She didn't dare move, wondering if it was her stalker coming to take her.

She didn't care if he did. It wouldn't matter to her as long as she didn't have Edward. Without him, her freedom wasn't even something she cared for.

The door shut softly behind the figure and an electrical field took over the room. Her heart quickened as she felt the figure closing in on her. His muscled body pressed against her as he squirmed beneath the sheets so that he was lying beside her. He turned so that his leg was between hers and his torso was flush against her. He wrapped his arms around her back and lowered his head onto her chest.

He had returned once he thought she was asleep; knowing that he couldn't leave everything like it was. He drifted into sleep easily as he listened to the forced even pacing of her breaths.

As his arms continued to tighten around her, all of her previous thoughts flew away. There was no way she would ever question him again. He did care for her. She tried not to let herself hope. She tried not to agonize over what it could mean. But the thought slid effortlessly into her mind anyways.

_Maybe he loves you_.

**A/N: Review please. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

For the rest of the night, she slept soundly. Feeling the heated weight of his body on top of her, pushed the nightmares away, and she dreamed only of him.

Her body was slowly pulled from slumber as a tickling feeling traveled across her cheekbones. Her eyes flew open with a gasp and she found Edward littering soft kisses along her slender neck. His messy hair tickled her cheeks before he looked up at her again with an impish grin in place.

She narrowed her eyes at him. She hadn't noticed before but he always had a mischievous look on his face, whether it be in his eyes or in his smile.

He was staring at her intently. His eyes were studious; bright green in the early morning sunlight. He had drawn the drapes so that the sunlight was pouring into the room, making everything look fresh—a new day, a new start. The sunlight created a halo around him—lighting up his bronze hair, making it look like fiery red.

His eyes were suddenly intent on her lips. He looked up at her for permission. She pressed her lips together. The action caused him to scowl. "You have to apologize first," she said. Her voice was thick with sleep.

He felt a certain part of his anatomy awaken at the hoarse sound of her voice.

Quickly, he crawled up her body until he was hovering over her—holding all of his weight up on his forearms. He leaned his forehead against hers and stared deeply into her eyes, letting all of his remorse show through.

She sighed deeply as the force of his regret hit her. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," he whispered. His voice was also regretful—deepened by a powerful sadness.

He had brought her fear. He had made her _afraid_ of him. Even if it was just for a second, it was still enough to bring on his own self-loathing.

"Hey," she called softly. His gaze—blurry and unfocused—resettled on her worried face. She cocked her head to the side; a smile creeped unto her lips.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked.

She nodded an affirmative. He grinned in response.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers softly. He sighed in content. It was just a small kiss, chaste and sweet. His eyes began to trace over her form again—in reverence. He reached his hand down and curled her long hair around his fingers. He looked back at her again.

"Never cut your hair," he murmured.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Who do you know with hair as long as yours?" he questioned.

She pondered for a moment. "No one," she concluded.

"You're hair makes you different," he said.

The atmosphere thickened. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down on top of her. Once he settled, she breathed out shakily.

"Am I hurting you?" He asked in a soft murmur.

"You could never…" she whispered.

His brow furrowed. He wanted so badly to tell her the depth of his feelings for her. But he didn't. He stayed quiet and pressed his ear to her chest, listening to her heart beat.

**OoO**

They browsed through the store, even though Edward already knew what he was getting her. She huffed as he pulled her along. "I'm not a child, Edward. I can walk around on my own," she said.

He turned and looked down at her. "I want to be near you," he said simply as he pulled her to his chest and continued walking.

She stared up at him, wondering if he knew that sweet little words like that didn't often come from the mouth of an eighteen year old.

They stopped in front of the sales person and called for his attention. He flashed Bella a flirtatious grin and stepped backwards upon noticing Edward's glare. "W-what can I do ya for?" He stuttered out with a nervous chuckle.

"I need a new cell phone," Bella said.

The sales man nodded and continued to question her. Edward suggested that she get the iPhone. She turned to glare at him. She excused them and pushed him out of the store.

She folded her arms over her chest. "I can't afford an iPhone, Edward," she said, exasperated.

"I'm paying for it," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I can't let you pay for it!" She exclaimed.

"Why?"

"B-because," she stuttered as his eyes bore into hers.

She looked down at her shoes. They were dirty and mud covered. She grimaced. Next to Edward, she must look like a nobody…someone who just _didn't_ belong. Her jeans were faded and her hoodie was worn.

Edward looked impeccable in his jeans, black Doc Martins, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket. All he was missing was a motorcycle and a cigarette hanging from his lips. Although, she was sure she would have a coronary if she saw him like that—both because of the fact that he would look like the perfect bad boy from every girls wet dream, and the fact that it would be dangerous for him to ride a motorcycle and smoke.

She groaned and pressed her thumbs to her temples when her thought process had strayed her far away from the initial problem.

"Bella?"

She sighed and looked up at him—not caring that the rain was soaking through her hair. "I don't want…to owe you anything…if this doesn't work out."

And then _he_ was pulling her. He dragged her into the alleyway between the electronics store and the town's only Pizza joint. He pushed her against the wall and pressed his body to hers.

His hands cupped her face and smoothed the raindrops from her cheeks until her anger diminished.

She looked at him and expected anger, instead, she saw fear.

"Bella…" he trailed off. "I would _never_ do anything to jeopardize our…relationship."

Bella looked away, but he forced her to look back at him. "We don't even know what we are to each other," Bella whispered.

His eyes flashed. "You're my girlfriend and I'm your boyfriend," he said with finality.

"Am I?" she asked.

"Yes," he said firmly. "And you're going to be my wife someday."

Bella shook her head, almost unable to keep up with him when he jumped to marriage. "What if I told you that I don't believe in marriage?"

His brow furrowed. "I'd have to ask you why," he said.

She sighed. "I don't believe in marriage," she whispered.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "Why?" he asked just as quietly.

She merely shrugged.

He paused, thinking. "Is it because of—?"

He didn't even finish his question before she tore away from him and walked out into the parking lot. He caught her quickly, but she refused to look at him. "I don't want to talk about…_that_," she said, her voice shaking as anxiety crept up on her.

"Okay," he nodded. "How about we get some lunch?" he suggested, making sure his voice didn't betray his desperation to keep her near.

She stared at the asphalt beneath her feet—fearing that it would crumble beneath her and she would be falling…falling…falling. She had no wings to catch herself with.

She was no bird.

**OoO**

She sat down at the table and stared at the red surface. She could sense Edward watching her with concern and remorse for bringing up her past. He was at the front of the store, ordering some pizza for her.

A few minutes later he returned and set a bottle of orange soda down in front of her. "It'll just be a few more minutes," he said as he sat down on the other side of the table with his own drink—a can of iced tea.

They sat in silence for a while before Edward cleared his throat to speak. Bella, however, beat him to it.

"I thought that boys wanted to _explore_ and…have sex with a lot of girls and drink and…," she trailed off.

"I don't want that," he said. She looked up at him and could immediately see the distaste in his eyes.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why not?" she asked. "All guys do, don't they?"

Edward shrugged. "Not me."

She leaned back in disbelief. "Fine then." She looked away, disgruntled.

He chuckled softly. "Why can't you believe me? Why don't you think that my feelings for you are this strong?"

She shrugged. "Why should they be? You barely know me."

"I don't have to know you," he said simply.

She sighed in exasperation. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked tiredly.

He smiled and took a sip of his drink. His jaw tensed as he drank with pursed lips. She could see his Adams apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed—his head thrown back and his neck arched.

She licked her lips before narrowing her eyes at him.

"What?" he asked, nervously wiping at his face.

"What if…I meet someone else?" She asked.

He slowly lowered the can from his lips. "What?" he asked, darkly.

"What if I meet someone else?" she repeated, but with more hesitance. His gaze was unnerving.

He rubbed his chin and smiled crookedly—dazzling and frightening all at once. "I'd kill him first," he said. "Then I'll lock you away and never let you go," he said simply before taking another sip of his drink.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Edward, be serious, please."

"I _am_ being serious," he said, the smile dropping from his face. He lowered his eyes to stare at his can of iced tea, not knowing what else to tell her that would make her fully grasp the fact that he would _never_ let her go.

Though his words were bordering on obsessive, she had had to suppress a shiver of delight. Being wanted so desperately by someone as beautiful – inside and out – as Edward, made her heart flutter as if a swarm of bees had taken up residence inside her rib cage.

When he finally looked up at her, she was swirling her pinky around the rim of her soda bottle. "I wish you wouldn't do that," he said. There was something barely controlled in his voice.

She started, turning her eyes to him. The intensity of his gaze almost knocked the breath out of her.

She flushed pink and asked, "Do what?" Her voice was breathy and slightly hoarse so she brought the bottle of soda up for a sip.

"Bite your lip," he clarified for her, tilting his head to the side.

She awkwardly put the bottle down and cleared her throat. "Why?"

He just stared at her, not saying anything. She suddenly regretted asking because now the curiosity would eat her alive.

He would never tell her what the simple act of biting her full bottom lip did to him. She would look so innocent and naïve. It made him want to corrupt her in every way his devilish mind could think of.

Also, he had fantasies in which they were doing something explicit in a public place, and she had to bite her lips to keep her sounds at bay. Now _that_, he _definitely_ couldn't tell her.

"How long have you…liked me?" she asked suddenly, trying to distract herself from the tension crackling in the air between them.

The question broke his reverie. "Remember your first day?" he asked, referring to her first day at Forks High, also the day they met.

She nodded.

"You tripped and dumped your lunch tray on me?" he clarified with a smile.

She flushed, as her embarrassment from that moment returned to haunt her.

He chuckled, "I had wanted to throw you into one of those big trash bins, you know?"

She grimaced.

His amusement dissolved. "When I looked up at you…saw you for the first time," he paused, grabbing her hands in his own as he leaned towards her. "I thought you were the most beautiful thing in the world. I've wanted you to be mine since that moment."

She blushed harder, her teeth sinking into the soft plushness of her bottom lip. She lowered her eyes, suddenly shy.

The waitress cleared her throat, announcing her presence, and ending the intensity between them. She set the pizza down in front of them before turning away – her eyes lingering on Edward.

Bella noticed, but said nothing, instead picking up a slice of pizza.

He cleared his throat, realizing that their moment was over. "Do you like pizza?" he asked.

"I suppose," she responded.

"I know this great pizza place in Seattle…we can go next weekend for the day?" He suggested in a question. "If you're not busy…" The tips of his ears reddened.

She nodded and chewed her food thoughtfully—slowly. She swallowed and took a sip of her drink, all the while observing the nervous look on Edward's face. She loved making him squirm. "I'll have to check with Mike."

"Mike?" he questioned. His eyes were hooded and dangerous.

She nodded. "He asked me out next Saturday."

He picked at his pizza with his long thin fingers, with a crestfallen expression on his face.

"I'm kidding Edward," she said.

He looked up at her and glared. "That's not funny," he scowled although she could see the relief in his eyes.

She slid down in her seat and crawled beneath the table to the other side and slid up into the seat beside Edward. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Ask me properly," she said.

He looked at her face—searching for something. She was new at everything. She wanted everything to be special, and that was no less than she deserved.

"Will you go out with me next Saturday?" he asked. His stomach was in his throat as he waited for her answer.

"Yes," she replied, ending his torment. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his cheek. She pulled away, grinning at the euphoric expression on his face.

He pulled her plate of pizza in front of her so that she would continue eating.

"But Mike did ask me out," she said.

She felt him growl.

She grinned. "I'll let him down gently."

**OoO**

"So have you decided yet?" the sales-man asked then as they walked back into the store.

"The iPhone," Bella said. Edward grinned and fished out his wallet after the sales man went through the data plans and all the information necessary for her new phone.

She kept the same number and she shook her head when Edward insisted that he had to be the first number she put into her phone. He quickly sent himself a text from her phone so that he would have her number.

She smiled as they walked out of the store with her new phone in her back pocket.

He drove her back to his house. Her smile fell when she noticed her father pacing outside on the front porch of the Cullen's house. She quickly threw her door open and ran to him.

He patted her down all over to check for himself if she was alright and tsked at her scrapped up hands. He apologized for not making it sooner. His car had been in the shop in Gold Bar, the town he was fishing in. He had decided to take a longer trip after it broke down. However, when he got the news of the attack on Friday night and the close encounter with the intruder on Saturday night, he put a rush in on his car.

When Bella went to say goodbye to Alice, Charlie talked with Edward. "Sir," Edward said when Charlie finished thanking him for saving Bella like he had.

"Yes, son?"

Edward cleared his throat. "I would like your permission to date Bella," Edward said – adding nervously, "and your blessing."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "You're _asking_?"

Edward's brow furrowed. "It's the proper thing to do isn't it?"

Charlie cracked a smile. "I suppose it is. You have my permission, son." He paused, thinking of the unusual happiness and _peace_ that exuded from Bella. "You also have my blessing," he said finally, his eyes expressing the warning he wasn't so sure was necessary.

Edward's face lit up brilliantly.

Bella bounded down the stairs and jumped on Charlie's back—showing off her new cell phone. Charlie looked at Edward, who was staring at Bella. He concluded that his daughter would be safe with Edward. He would treat her with love and respect.

They nodded goodbye and Charlie went to wait in his car.

Bella looked at Edward and quickly moved into his arms. He gave her a warming hug that made her heart flutter.

_Everything would be alright for her...as long as she had Edward._

**A/N: Review please. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella pressed her forehead against the glass of the passenger side window of her father's cruiser. She stared out at the passing foliage with a wistful half smile.

Her father cleared his throat. She looked at him—still in her Edward induced haze. "You really like him?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said, "I do."

Charlie nodded his head and turned back to the road with a small smile. "I like him too, Bells."

**OoO**

Bella spent the next few hours sitting on the porch outside of her house—swinging on the wooden swing there.

Emmett was making dinner.

Ever since she had gotten home, she could hear her father badgering Emmett. He was being punished for leaving Bella all alone. Emmett argued that he had no idea she _would_ be alone. Charlie merely chuckled and told him to, 'get over it, son'.

She leaned her head to the side and closed her eyes. She heard the front door open and then a sigh. "You're really trying to get Dad to kill me, aren't you?" He said.

She looked up at him and glared—still angry at him for storming out of her room angrily the night before even though she had done nothing wrong. "I don't know what you mean."

He sighed once more and sat down next to her. "You shouldn't be out here alone, especially since it's so close to dark." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She shrugged against him, yet nuzzled her face in his chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

She shook her head and pushed her tears back. "S'okay, Em," she whispered.

He clenched his eyes shut, wondering how many apologies had ended with those two words. She _always_ forgave him, no matter what.

He pressed a kiss to her hair before clearing his throat in a similar manner his father would. "So…" he trailed off.

She let out a short chuckle. "Just say it Emmett."

"You and Edward, huh?" He nudged her shoulder with his.

She smiled subconsciously. "Yeah…"

"Should I threaten to kick his ass if he hurts you?" He asked with a chuckle.

Her smile fell and her brow furrowed. "I don't think that'll be an issue."

He raised his eyebrows. "Why not?"

"He…_can't_ hurt me. It's like it's physically impossible for him to." She sighed.

"Elaborate."

"He said that I was going to be his wife someday," she whispered.

"Oh?" Emmett said, raising his eyebrows higher, wondering if Edward's devotion was worrying his sister—making her uncomfortable.

She smiled. "He said it with so much conviction; _I_ even believed it for a second." She sighed again. "And then I told him that I don't believe in marriage."

"And?"

She looked up at him. "His face was so heartbroken, Em. It was like it hurt him to know that I won't marry him someday." She chuckled without humor. "Then he asked if it was because of…what happened in Phoenix."

Emmett raised his eyebrows. "I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you."

"I know he didn't. When I walked away…." She sniffled and reached up to her eyes, surprised to find tears there. "He was so sad. He thought that he blew it with me."

She shook her head.

"I don't want him to think that I'll just…up and leave him."

She pressed her face into Emmett's chest. He rubbed her arms with his hands. "Then don't _let _him think that, Bells." He paused. "I'm sure most other brothers would _insist_ that their little sisters don't date their best friends but…I _know_ him. I know that he'll protect you. He's a _really_ good guy, Bells. Don't let him go. I know for a fact that he won't let you go."

"Really?"

"Not ever."

**OoO**

She couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned all night.

Edward had texted her goodnight, but she didn't respond—afraid that she'll be unable to control herself, call him, and tell him that she was wretchedly in love with him…that she couldn't live without him being at her side every second of every day.

She was almost certain that saying all that would make him think she was crazy and a little too obsessed.

She watched the sun rise with disdain – already the sounds of the town's awakening filled her ears. She could hear the neighbors calling to each other across fences. She could hear Emmett in the kitchen making breakfast. The scents of coffee and pancakes already drifted into her room.

She sighed and tore herself from her bed.

She didn't understand it. She was so fearful of falling asleep – afraid that she'll wake up and discover that she was still in the blistering heat of Phoenix. She was afraid of being plagued with nightmares.

Edward's heavy, heated body seemed to suppress them – push them away.

Quickly, she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After a quick shower she called Alice.

After a quick discussion, Alice insisted on coming over.

A few minutes later, she was bounding up the stairs to Bella's room.

Bella looked at her surprised. "How'd you get here so fast?" she questioned with a chuckle.

Alice smiled sheepishly with the same impish undertones as her brother. "Magic," she whispered.

Bella narrowed her eyes at her. "You were already driving over, weren't you?"

Alice snorted. "Nonsense. I was parked down the block."

With that, she was fluttering into Bella's closet to search for something for her to wear.

Bella brought the towel to her hair and began to dry it, all the while shaking her head at her best friend.

Alice screamed, "Eureka!"

Bella dropped her towel as Alice emerged from her closet, holding up a not-so-flattering fitted grey sweater dress.

"Alice, I'll freeze to death."

"Edward could always warm you up," Alice said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Eww, Alice."

"What? I thought you liked him…that way." Alice smirked.

Bella stuttered. "No I meant, eww, Alice, he's your _brother_."

Alice shrugged and placed the dress down on the bed besides Bella before walking to Bella's vanity. "And what the hell were you thinking when you bought that thing anyways?" Alice asked as she tore through Bella's dresser.

Bella pulled it onto her lap. "I was thinking comfort, Al…not really style."

Alice dropped a pair of black striped leggings on Bella's lap before returning to the closet.

"But why am I wearing this sweater? I would think you find it hideous."

Alice snorted as she rooted through the shoes in Bella's closet. "It's kind of big…a few sizes smaller and it would hug everything just right as well as drive Edward crazy." Bella raised her eyebrows. "But it's a little bulky and it'll hide most of your curves…which will also make Edward crazy." Alice smirked evilly.

Bella shook her head at her. "Do you enjoy torturing your brother?"

Alice nodded. "It's about time he got his comeuppance. He treated you like shit."

Bella sighed. "It went both ways, Al."

Alice shrugged. "Who instigated the fights?"

Bella grumbled. "He did."

"Precisely." Alice clicked her tongue as she emerged from the closet with a pair of grey suede, flat heeled boots in her hands. "The boy has no common sense…he over thinks things."

"What do you mean?"

"He was an ass to you so that you wouldn't like him."

Bella raised his eyebrows. "Isn't it a bit presumptuous of him to assume that I'd fall head over heels in love with him like the rest of the girls at Forks High?"

Alice smiled sadly. "Not really, no." she paused. "As much as he tries to hide it, he's just too hard not to like." Alice shrugged and walked to the door. "Get dressed; we've got work to do."

Bella groaned and stood, pulling on the items quickly.

Just as her boots were on, Alice walked in holding a plastic bag from a local Asian spice store in Port Angeles. She set the bag down and pulled out a chocolate colored scarf with an Arab feel to it. The beading was incredibly intricate and the color matched Bella's eyes exactly.  
Bella gasped and reached for it. "Pretty," she mumbled, holding it close.

It had the faint scents of exotic cumin, chilies, and curry powder.

"Thank you, Al."

Alice smiled. "You're welcome."

Alice led Bella to the chair in front of the vanity after situating the scarf around her neck just right. She unclipped the earrings that hung from her ears and quickly attached them to Bella's, before replacing the hooked gauges she had in her ears that she carefully hid from her parents despite her short hair.

She gathered Bella's hair, careful not to snag any of it on the zipper of her jeans or the buttons of her shirt. She frowned upon remembering Bella's reaction to having her hair pulled. Alice hadn't asked her to explain, knowing it would cause more harm than not.

Alice pulled Bella's hair into a messy ponytail, high on her head. She parted Bella's curling bangs to the side and smiled at her handiwork. "Makeup?"

Bella groaned, "Not too much."

Alice made a face and pulled some brown eyeliner from a small box that held all of Bella's makeup. After swiping some on, Alice handed her some mascara.

Bella looked at it skeptically. Alice sighed. "It's brown…don't worry."

Bella took it quickly and swiped it on. Whenever she wore black mascara her eyelashes looked ridiculously fake. Alice said it added to the effect she had on people. She merely rolled her eyes.

Finally finished, Bella asked, "Why did you primp me up so much?"

Alice snorted again and pulled Bella from the room after grabbing her new cell phone and the leather Fossil bag with floral designs that her father paid and exorbitant amount of money for, for her birthday. "I enjoy torturing my brother." Alice smirked. "We are making this a routine you know?"

Bella groaned and settled down in her chair for breakfast.

"You look nice," Emmett said as he placed her plate on the table.

He grimaced and pulled her hair over the back of the chair – it was wetting her dress and now there was a wet spot right over her left breast.

"Make sure that dries before you take your coat off," Emmett warned.

Alice sniggered as she imagined what Edward's reaction would be upon seeing Bella's erect nipples through the front of her wet dress. She poked Bella's breast and continued to shake with laughter.

Bella shook her head and ate a little more.

Emmett said that he'd clean up so Bella could leave earlier with Alice.

After sliding on her black peacoat and swinging her bag over her shoulder they made their way outside. Her dad's cruiser was already gone. The air frosted into clouds with each exhale before they slid into Alice's already warmed up Porsche.

After speeding out of the driveway they were on their way to school.

Alice jerked the car to a stop right besides Edward's Volvo. He was already leaning against it with a worried expression. Bella slid out the car and made her way over to him.

He smiled nervously and held his arms out for her. "Morning," he said.

She smiled and pressed herself into him. "Hi," she whispered.

His smile quickly turned into a frown as his fingers drifted over the dark circles beneath her eyes. She noticed and quickly looked away. "Nightmares?" he asked quietly.

She chuckled shortly without humor before tugging on his hand. "You can't have nightmares if you don't sleep." She led him towards the main building. He pulled her back.

"Why didn't you sleep?" He questioned.

Alice cleared her throat besides them. "Uh, we've got like twenty minutes before class starts. I'm gonna go find Jazz, 'kay?"

Bella nodded at her whiles Edward continued to fix his gaze at Bella. Alice gave Edward a warning look before walking off to find Jasper. "Bella? Why didn't you sleep?" He was worried now.

She looked up at him. "'Cause you weren't there."

He sighed and pressed his palm to her cheek.

He leaned down slowly, waiting for her to move away from him. She didn't. Staying perfectly still, she let his lips touch hers lightly. She sighed and smiled against his lips. He pulled back with a satisfied smirk, reaching up to trace her dimples formed by her upturned lips. "Come on," he said, pulling her towards the main building.

She followed behind him with a giggle.

He opened her locker for her. She stared up at him. "How do you know my locker combination?"

He smiled cheekily. "I've been practically stalking you since January…of course I know something as menial as your locker combo."

She shook her head at him before pulling her bag over her head. She stood on the tips of her toes to hang it on the end of her locker door.

The entire time, Edward stared at her with a small smile. Even with him standing right beside her, her morning routine didn't change a bit. He watched as she took her jacket off.

His lips quickly formed a pout. She looked up at him and laughed. He grimaced and pulled her close. He sighed. "At least I can still feel you," he said with disdain as he clutched her bulky grey sweater in his fist.

She giggled again and pushed him away.

It was impossible for it not to happen. Every time she was near, his eyes always roamed over her body – looking for new bruises that formed whenever he knew she had hurt herself somehow and admiring her fragility with a burning passion to feel her skin against his.

His eyes immediately landed on the fading wet spot on her breast. "Fuck," he cursed. He pulled her close, hiding the mark against his chest and glared at her.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He growled low in his throat before fidgeting with her chocolate brown scarf until it covered the wet mark. "Mine," he said, palming her softly.

She gasped at his abruptness, flushing red before turning back to her locker. After gathering all of her books she sighed and looked up at him. His eyes were dark and intense. Pools of emerald and ebony swirled, hypnotizing her…until someone behind him caught her eye.

Her mouth pursed and her eyes flashed with something fierce as Jessica sauntered up to them. "Hey guys," she greeted. Bella grabbed onto the front of Jessica's hideous grey sweatshirt and pulled her down to her own height. She yanked Jessica's chin to the side to observe her right cheek.

"What the hell happened?" she whispered yelled, not wanting to embarrass Jessica.

Jessica's eyes widened as she pulled back. She pressed her palm against the dark bruise hidden beneath a ton of makeup. "Nothing," she answered.

Edward pushed Jessica's hair behind her ear. She had taken to Bella's habit of hiding behind her hair. He observed the mark. "That's not your dad, Jess. Who was it?" His words were almost a growl.

No one hurt what was his. Jessica was too important to him…she was _his_ best friend_…his_ sister practically.

Jessica's eyes shifted back and forth between them. She relented. "Just make sure Mike stays the hell away from Bella," she ground out before walking away stiffly.

Edward's eyes flashed. "I'll see you later, Bella," he said, kissing her quickly.

"Bye," she said, not wanting to imagine how much trouble Mike was about to be in.

He smoothed his thumb over her cheek in longing before turning and walking away.

She sighed and slumped against her locker. She just hoped Edward didn't kill Mike.

**OoO**

He could hardly wait to feel the satisfying crunch of bone beneath his knuckles as he stalked off to find Mike. He was at his locker, laughing with Tyler and Eric.

Edward growled and grabbed the back of Mike's shirt, pulling him away. He slammed him against the lockers, causing all students in the hallway to stop and stare. "What the fuck?" Mike shrugged Edward away.

Edward snarled and grabbed onto Mike's neck, squeezing hard. "What the _fuck_? _What the fuck?_" Edward mocked, shoving Mike hard against the locker. Mike grabbed Edward's wrist trying to pull him off.

Edward could hear the gasps of students around him and Emmett speaking into his ear, telling him to calm down. His vision colored red with blood when Emmett easily pulled him off of Mike.

Mike coughed and sputtered, sliding down the lockers to the floor. "Calm down," Emmett said. "What the fuck happened?"

Edward ignored him and pointed an accusing finger at Mike. "You stay the fuck away from Bella and you stay the _fuck_ away from Jessica." He turned and stalked off in the opposite direction.

Emmett stared Mike down. "What did you do?"

Mike coughed. "Nothin' she wasn't asking for," he replied.

Emmett's nostrils flared in anger. He turned to walk away, but not before spitting at Mike, "…piece of shit…"

Mike stood on shaky legs. His face flushed with embarrassment as he looked at the crowd that had gathered to observe the action. "What the fuck are you looking at?" he yelled at a young freshman. They all scattered, except for Tyler and Eric. "What?" Mike asked.

They shook their heads at him and walked away. Mike shrugged his jacket back in place and kicked the lockers. "Fuck!"

But there was something else. Something that he knew.

_There was no way Edward was finished with him_.

**A/N: Filler chapter…very boring…yes, I know…**

**Review****please****. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Edward glided into lunch, walking with purpose. He could see Bella at the far corner of the cafeteria eating with Alice, Rosalie and Angela. Edward made his way to where Jessica was sitting. He stood in front of her, nervously twiddling his fingers whiles she finished seating herself comfortably at the long wooden table.

"What?" Jessica asked. He could see her face turning red as she wondered why the hell he was staring at her as if she had a toe growing out of her right eye socket.

"Would you mind if Bella sits with us?" Edward asked.

"No. Why would I?" She gave him a look as if to tell him to stop asking stupid questions.

Edward shrugged. "I dunno."

She rolled her eyes and stood. "Sit," she commanded, shoving his down in his seat. He watched as she walked across the cafeteria towards Bella. He could see her lips moving as she spoke to Bella. Bella looked over at him and Edward could feel himself blush – not even knowing why he was.

Bella stood and clutched her books to her chest as Jessica grabbed her lunch tray, making her way to where he was sitting. She slid into the seat next to his and clutched his hand in her own. She had heard about what had happened to Mike. It was all over school.

The fight had already spread to the Principal who was on the prowl, looking for Mike – who was hiding. Nobody dared mention Edward or Emmett. They were all afraid of Edward and couldn't understand why Jessica even hung out with him.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to Bella's temple, silently telling her that he had calmed down considerably since the early morning debacle with Mike. He didn't want her to fear him. She had already been afraid of him once, and he hated it.

He could almost hear the collective gasps of all the students around their table when Edward pulled Bella close to him and watched her eat. It was so surprising to all the other students to see Edward emitting an emotion besides snobbish disgust and hatred for the rest of his peers.

Edward merely found their high school 'drama' to be immature and degrading to the small percentage of the schools population who entered the campus to _learn_ not to make friends or enemies with their classmates.

Edward ignored them and saw to it that Bella finished everything on her plate. It wasn't healthy to be so underweight. He didn't like feeling like he could crush her easily if he wasn't careful enough.

Jessica's eyes flitted back and forth between them as she ate her pudding – or what she assumed was pudding. You could never really tell with school lunches.

She observed that Edward definitely treated Bella differently than everyone else ever since she had first stepped into Forks High School.

He didn't simply ignore Emmett and Bella. There was something about Emmett's presence that just told Edward that the overgrown child should be respected and his immaturities overlooked. His protectiveness of his sister –Bella – was very much like Edward and Alice's relationship.

But with Bella, Edward was different.

Yes, he made fun of her and taunted her endlessly, but it wasn't spiteful and even though Bella was absurdly too unobservant to notice that, Jessica knew her best friend very well. Edward liked Bella, even though he claimed that he didn't. He was just too socially awkward to figure it out for himself until Jessica had called him out one day.

It was over the summer and they had been lounging in Jessica's backyard. It was one of those days that left a warm feeling in your chest. It was like you knew that what happened tomorrow wouldn't matter because _today_ was just too perfect.

It was when Jessica's father was in prison for the longest time. It had already been a month since Charlie had dragged him out of the small one story house, kicking and screaming the entire way.

Jessica's mother was the happiest she had ever been. It wasn't like Elizabeth was _letting_ her ex-husband back into the house when he got out of jail for whatever reason. He would just barge in and plunder the house for money, food, and just because he liked the fact that he was bigger than his ex-wife and his daughter.

Elizabeth – who preferred to be called Beth – was inside making lunch; Jessica and Edward were in the back yard, lazing the day away in the surprising emergence of the sun from behind the constantly grey cloud cover.

Jessica was thinking of the upcoming sleepover she had at Edward's house. It was most surprising however, that it was with Alice, Rosalie, and Bella, not Edward. It was the strangest thing when Alice approached her in Thriftway a few days prior, to proposition her.

"_What are you thinking about so hard?"_ She remembered Edward saying.

"_How do you know I'm thinking about something?"_

"_Your nose scrunched up a little,"_ he observed.

She had snorted. "_So?"_

He had sighed before looking up at the blue sky. _"Bella does that too," _he had said simply.

That was when she knew.

It had been a little over six months since Bella had moved to Forks, and by mid-June, Jessica was finally piecing it together. Edward had actually paid attention to a minute little detail of something someone did whiles they were deep in thought. It showed that Edward had observed Bella, from either boredom, or fascination…and she thoroughly doubted that Edward ever got bored; what with his skills in music and the many sports he loved to play, as well as the fact that his brain never stopped working. He was always processing something or analyzing another.

He was a great help to his father's bodyguard company's private investigators. He could see things no one else could see. He also had a photographic memory.

His father was encouraging him to go into law enforcement or at least try to help people with his ability to look beyond what everyone else could see.

Edward wanted to take over his father's company, but Carlisle feared that it was only because he felt obligated to do it.

Jessica sighed and pushed her plate away. She let out a belch as the bell rang and signaled them that they needed to make their way to next period.

After settling in their seats, class began. Half-way through the period, everyone could see that Mr. Banner was nearing an exploding outburst. He _hated_ when students cut his class and Mike's empty seat was taunting him.

Eric walked into the classroom, handing the purple hall pass back to Mr. Banner, who had a vein bulging at his temple.  
"Where is he?" Mr. Banner demanded.

Eric shrugged. "He's on roaming duty."

Just then, Mike waltzed into the classroom. "You're such a creep, Eric," he said.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Banner said to look for you," Eric said, pointing an overly feminine finger at Mr. Banner, who was looking on in rage as the two boys continued their banter in the middle of his classroom.

Mike grumbled at him unintelligibly as he made his way to the back of the classroom to his desk.

Jessica sat right in front of him and could feel him glaring holes into the back of her head. Up front, she saw Edward turn in his seat to look at Mike. Just then, the burning of his stare disappeared. Jessica sighed in relief.

Edward was constantly being her savior. Edward gave her a look and so did Bella. She shook her head at them. She was fine. Mike wouldn't dare bother her with Edward sitting right there.

Mr. Banner then instructed them to do a lab, observing the reactions of salt water on plant and animal cells.

Halfway through the period, a wave of quiet spread through the classroom as one by one, the students began to notice the Principal standing in the doorway. His eyes were trained on Mike, who was stupidly texting on his phone. The room was dark, because Mr. Banner had attached a camera to his own microscope and was showing everyone what the reactions should look like on a giant projection screen.

Principal Biers looked at Mr. Banner who just shrugged, not knowing what to do. Biers picked up a piece chalk from Mr. Banner's desk and hurled it at Mike as he screamed, "Michael!"

The chalk hit Mike on the forehead. Mike started and let out a squeak, which made everyone else laugh. "Put the phone away!" Biers boomed.

"I don't have my phone out," Mike stupidly insisted.

"Then why's your crotch glowing?" Biers raised his eyebrows whiles Mike stuttered and the rest of the class laughed even harder. "Stand up," Biers commanded.

Mike stood.

"Come here," Biers said, tapping his foot impatiently. Biers was the type of principal who wasn't afraid to manhandle insubordinate students if need be. Pulling Mike by the collar like a disobedient dog, they made their way to his office.

Edward snorted and shook his head. Mike was getting what he deserved.

**OoO**

It was already the end of the day, and students were fleeing the school as if it was on fire. Edward finished up at his locker and made his way to Bella's right down the hall. She was just buttoning her coat, over the grey sweater dress that made Edward absurdly jealous.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She started slightly before she recognized his embrace. He chuckled – low and deep – in her ear, which caused goose bumps to rise on her arms. He kissed her cheek.

"You look beautiful today, love," he whispered against her cheek. He could feel her face heating up beneath his lips as well as the upturn of her cheeks as she smiled.

"Thank you," she said, her voice clear despite the roar of the rest of the world around them. "Can you help me with my hair?" she asked.

He grasped the top of her ponytail and quickly slipped it out of her jacket. It was difficult for her to do herself since her arms were shorter than her hair and it hurt her shoulders.

"Yo, Cullen!" It was Mike. He was calling to Edward from down the hall. The look on his face was one of pure hatred.

"Damn it," Edward cursed, pulling Bella's bag from the hook on her locker door and settling it over his shoulder. He slammed the locker door shut and pulled Bella towards the exit.

He could feel Mike catching up to them and he didn't want to beat the ever loving shit out of the runt, on school grounds.

They made it outside into the parking lot before a hand on his shoulder and his name on Mike's lips caused him to swing around and shoot his fist straight into Mike's face.

Mike grunted and fell backwards. Bella gasped and pulled on Edward's hand. Her soft hand around his fingers was only just barely tethering him to reality.

Mike chuckled, more surprised and in shock than in pain. He stared at the blood, dripping heavily from his clearly broken nose. Knowing he had nothing else on Edward he said – glancing at Edward and Bella's intertwined fingers, "Working on another one I see."

Edward's hand tightened around Bella's.

"You could at least save some for the rest of us," Mike said, standing up and dusting the dirt off the back of his pants. "We don't want your sloppy seconds."

With that he walked away, purposely pushing into Edward's shoulder. Edward was too shocked to even think of reaching out and grabbing Mike by the back of his neck, throwing him down, and beating him to a bloody pulp.

Instead, he focused on the muted feminine voice coming from next to him. "What's he talking about?" Bella asked.

Jessica had suddenly appeared, not saying a word, only letting her gaze drift to Edward for a second.

"Edward?" Bella questioned again, as she looked at the shamed faces of her boyfriend and one of her best friends.

Realization dawned on her. Her face blushed red and she took a step back. "You guys…slept together?"

She didn't know why she felt like she had been betrayed. It was almost definitely before she had arrived in Forks. But she couldn't help feeling like they had lied to her.

"That was a long time ago," Jessica said, stepping forward. "…just a drunken mistake," Jessica tried to reason.

"Edward?" Bella said again, looking at him with hurt eyes.

She was surprised to see just as much hurt in his own eyes…but it was for a different reason. He was so…_scared_ that he was going to lose her…but too…_stupid_ to realize he should say something.

Bella felt a tiny hand wrap around her bicep. "Bella?" Alice's sweet voice echoed in her ears. Alice's eyes flashed between Jessica's shamed face and Edward's fearful eyes. "Let's take a drive," Alice urged, pulling Bella in the direction of her car after picking Bella's bag off the pavement where it had fallen in the commotion.

Alice pulled Bella through the crowd of people that had gathered during the fight. Some felt for Bella, whiles other's snickered at Edward's current position.

Some thought, _"She was too good for him_."

Other's whispered, _"She's so out of his league. It wouldn't have lasted anyways,_"

They were just bitter harpies waiting for the next delicious tragedy to devour and twist and tumult for their own loathsome amusement.

**OoO**

When Alice had come home it was already twilight. She had glared at Edward all through dinner, stabbing at her salad as if it had wronged her in the most dreadful of ways. Finally, after the tension inside of her was too much she let him know what was on her mind.

She was doing the dishes as Edward helped her put them away, in the cupboards that were too high for her to reach without a footstool.

"You should have said something," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked. His voice was dead and so were his eyes.

"Quit feeling sorry for yourself, Edward. This is your mess, you have to fix it."

"What could I have said?" Edward questioned.

"That you regretted it? That it shouldn't have happened? That it didn't mean anything? Honestly, Edward, do you have any common sense whatsoever?" She was exhausted and annoyed. She threw the dishtowel in the sink angrily, leaning against the countertop with her back to him. "You should have just said something," she whispered, shaking her head at him.

"I couldn't," Edward stuttered out.

She spun around, aggravated and definitely suffering from a bit of PMS. "Why not?" She looked at him, studying his face. "Were you afraid you'd hurt Jessica's feelings?" Alice asked, her voice soft and slightly disbelieving.

"Yes," Edward said, finally.

Alice shook her head and chuckled humorlessly. "As much as you are too unobservant to see it, she regrets it just as much as you do."

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked, exasperated.

"Jessica…she already knew that ."

"What situation?" Edward asked.

Alice gave him the stink eye. "God, you're stupid."

"Alice," Edward warned.

She rolled her eyes. "She knows that the fact that you guys slept together would most likely affect your relationship with Bella. She regrets the decision you guys made that night…just as you do."

"But…if we didn't…you know," Edward motioned with his hands before burying them in his hair, "I never would've found out about her dad and he'd still be hurting her. He'd probably have killed her by now…or her mother…"

Alice's face turned grave. "You don't know that Edward."

"Yes I do."

Alice shook her head. "I knew about it Edward."

Edward froze. "What?" he was confused. Jessica and her weren't that close, even before Jessica and Edward became friends.

"I saw a bruise one day and confronted her about it," Alice said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was working up the courage to tell someone about it. She'd sworn me to secrecy but I couldn't help it!" Alice was now pacing, their positions changing drastically within the last few minutes. "I was gonna tell you, but then you walked into the house, drunk, stumbling, stupid, and looking like hell."

She paused staring at her brother, feeling a wave a protectiveness flooding through her. Her heart clenched as she remembered when he had returned from that dreadful party. He'd drunk himself further into a stupor, trying to get those _disgusting_ images out of his mind.

She thought it was terrible that _anyone_ would have to see something so vile. Alice remembered asking herself,_ what kind of monster would lay a hand on their own child? Bruise them?_

Edward told her what had happened. He told her that after Jessica and him had…finished…he'd gotten a real look at her body.

She was covered in bruises and scratches and scars.

He'd jumped away from her in horror, stumbling slightly because of his drunken state. He began to apologize profusely, thinking that he had caused all of it. She simply raised her hand at him calmly despite her intoxicated state. He remembered her words. Words that constantly rang through his head whenever he'd find himself threatening her father.

"_It's not your fault…somebody else," _she had mumbled almost inaudibly before slinking her way out of the room – dressing herself on the way out – and disappearing into the crowd of party goers.

**OoO**

He laid on his bed, facing the ceiling. His fingers tapped on the back of his cell phone impatiently. Suddenly, as if out of spite, it rang loudly, scaring Edward so much it slipped from his hands onto the floor. When he finally retrieved it, his face fell when he realized that the screen wasn't flashing Bella's name, but J. Jenks.

Edward sat up quickly and answered the call, praying for some information. Even if his young relationship with Bella had been impeded by his past decisions, he knew that he owed her closure and that closure involved two _closed_ casket funerals for her so called mother and her step-father. One thought was predominant in his mind.

"_I'll make sure they never see the light of day again."_

**A/N: Hehe…sorry about the four month wait…I was…busy…yeah…*shrugs* Don't worry. It won't happen again, I'm writing chapter 12 right now so expect an update in a week or so :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Wow. That was the longest week in the history of mankind, right?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

The next words out of Jenks' mouth made Edward immediately bolt from his bed.

"Renee and Phillip Dwyer don't exist."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Edward barked.

"What the _fuck_ I'm talking about is that they disappeared off the face of the Earth," Jenks said, slightly pissed at Edward's tone.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Explain."

"Earlier this year, January, they booked two tickets for a flight to Jacksonville, Florida. They land and…nothin. No credit cards used, no money taken from their bank accounts…any of them. I did find one hidden in the Cayman Islands, under Mr. Dwyer's name, but all the money's still there. The guy's in some pretty shady shit, from what I can tell. His brother runs a prostitution ring in…would you believe it? Seattle."

Edward felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"Every so often, there's a deposit in his Cayman Island bank account of almost a hundred grand. I'm guessing he helps his brother out every now and then."

Edward felt a growl building in his chest. He was starting to figure out Phil's fascination with Bella. She was merely a monetary opportunity. A small, sweet, young, virgin girl with a submissive personality…All Phil must have seen when he looked at her was a bunch of dollar signs.

"But other than that? Nothin," Jenks said. "I'll call you if I find anything else." Jenks hung up and Edward immediately dialed Bella's phone number. It went to voicemail on the first ring. He called again as he tried to pull on a pair of pants with one hand. It still went directly to voicemail. Edward cursed and yanked some shoes on, running for the door.

Suddenly he stopped. He didn't want to be over reacting. But, Bella could either be in life threatening danger or just ignoring his calls. "Shit," he whispered, pulling at his hair.

He didn't want to alert his parents to a problem, especially if there might not even be one, and if he made a ruckus, his father would find out about his calls to Jenks…not that Jenks was a bad PI, he just cost an arm and a leg for his work.

Edward didn't care, he would pay his father back.

Cautiously, Edward opened his bedroom door and peeked his head out. From what he could tell, everyone was asleep. No sound echoed through the house, except for his father's distant snores. As quietly as he could he made his way down to the garage, making sure to throw on a couple of sweatshirts.

His keys dangled from his hands but he cursed quietly to himself when he realized that he wouldn't be able to use his car without waking up his parents. He eyed his father's old bicycle in the corner of the room.

Soon he found himself pedaling through the dark forest on the 12 mile long dirt pathway through the woods to Bella's house. The cold October air whipped at his cheeks. His eyes burned with the speed he was going at but he pushed on through the night.

Eventually, he could see the faint outline of a red brick house. He came to a jerking stop in the backyard, where the trail led him. Bella's bedroom took up the entire back part of the second floor. Edward cursed under his breath when he saw how dangerous of a position her bedroom was in. There were a set of marble covered cement stairs leading up to the veranda outside of Bella's bedroom. French style doors would open up to the veranda. Each glass panel looked fragile enough that the wind could shatter it.

In several short strides, he bound up the stairs and stood at the doors. He had no idea what he was doing. He felt a little stupid. He could have just called Emmett and asked him to check on Bella, but then he wouldn't have had a reason to see her…after he'd hurt her so.

He raised his hand, hesitating for a second before knocking hard on the wood frame. There was a brief pause before the curtains flew to the side and a very disgruntled looking Bella began to look even more surprised. She unlocked the doors and said, "Edward? What are you—"

She could hardly get the words out before he had pulled her to his chest and attached his lips to hers. He sucked roughly on her bottom lip, suddenly rabid for her. She gasped softly as something firm and wet met her lips. Her gasp was enough invitation for him to plunge his tongue into her mouth. She groaned quietly, backing up into her room. He followed her in and carelessly shut the door behind him.

His lips were hot and wet against hers. Feeling each swipe of his tongue against her mouth had her wanton.

She pulled away quickly, fearing embarrassment. "I don't…" she trail off looking for the right words. Her voice faltered as she stared into his dilated eyes.

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

She shrugged and blushed red. "I don't know how to kiss," she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

He looked down as well, thinking to himself that her feet were cute. He mentally slapped himself.

"I don't know either, Bella." Bella looked up at him skeptically. He sighed and roughly ran his hands through his hair. "We need to talk Bella."

Bella nodded calmly yet felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She knew it was stupid and that they were barely more than strangers, but she already began to feel the pain of losing him. His words weren't helping either.

He saw the drowning look in her eyes. "No, Bella!" he grabbed her shoulders, remembering to quiet his voice. "I'm not…breaking up with you," he almost spat the words as if they thought of them disgusted him.

She raised her eyes to meet his. "Then what is it?" she asked, twisting her feet in the plush carpet below her.

She frowned until he was properly situated on her bed, lying on his side, with her body curled up to him. He had carefully pulled the comforter over her body, shielding her from the chill of the creaky old house. He could tell that she was apprehensive about their conversation. But he knew it was necessary.

"I'm tired of the secrets," he said, finally.

Her eyes flashed up to meet his. "I don't have any secrets," she responded quickly.

He chuckled shortly. "You have lots of secrets Bella," he whispered.

She ducked her head. "I can't…"

"I know you can't tell me some of them, Bella," he said, his voice understanding.

She looked up at him surprised.

"And I won't make you," he assured her.

"What about you?" she questioned. He raised an eyebrow. "You have secrets."

His eyes flashed with determination. "I'd never keep anything from you ever again," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'd hate for what happened today to happen again."

Again, she looked skeptical.

"What happened…between Jess and I was a mistake. And I don't want you to think for a _second_ that either of us doesn't regret it." His eyes tightened. "We do, Bella. We care for each other, but not in that way."

Bella nodded but remained apprehensive. She needed time to process his words. "Stay with me," she urged, tugging him closer.

"Of course," he answered immediately, wrapping his arms around her.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift. Her relationship with Edward was new, but it wasn't something she was ready to give up. Despite only being together for a few days, she felt an inexplicable draw to him…his voice…even his scent.

She sighed defeated. Now all she had to worry about was where Jessica would fit into his life now.

**OoO**

The next day seemed almost surreal. Edward could sense the difference in his classmates. He could really tell that they _hated_ him. And it wasn't like he could say he didn't deserve it. Just the day before they witnessed him crushing Bella's heart.

Jessica avoided him like the plague, wanting to wait until things with Bella had calmed down. But he didn't want her going and doing something rash to herself. She was still his best friend and he cared deeply for her.

His peers seemed surprised that they walked into the school building that morning hand in hand.

News of their breakup and makeup had spread fast through the school. The bitter harpies had something to feed their gossip – brutish Edward Cullen and sweet Bella Swan.

Stories of their abusive relationship and their over active sex life spread like wild fire through the school. This always happened to new couples in a tiny school of three hundred students and staff. They wanted entertainment and Bella and Edward's unlikely pairing seemed like the perfect choice.

Drama seemed to be at every turn of their short relationship and students and staff alike fed off of it. Whether it was out of boredom or just cruelty had yet to be determined.

It was discovered that Mike Newton had been expelled. He had had too many chances to fix his ways and the Principal was tired of his father buying him out of trouble – donating money he didn't even have to the school.

Charlie had even begun an investigation into Mike's past, hoping that if he could prove something, it would go on the record and that record would follow him around for the rest of his life making sure to keep Mike in line.

Edward made his way to Bella's locker at the end of the day. He was completely exhausted and he could tell that she was as well. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I just want to curl up with you and sleep for eternity," he grumbled.

She turned in his arms. "That's gonna have to wait," she said softly.

His face fell. "Why?"

She lowered her eyes. "Rose and I are…going shopping," she lied.

He stared at her hard. "More secrets?"

She frowned, at least having the decency to be upset with herself. "I'll tell you later," she said, standing up on her tip toes to kiss his chin.

She pushed her locker door shut and turned, walking towards the exit. He stared after her, at least willing her to look back at him. She did. She paused at the exit and turned her head, offering him a sweet smile before walking into the chilly October air.

Rose was waiting there for her – dressed in black and camouflage looking like GI Jane herself…except she wasn't bald.

Rosalie was built like a runner. She had a voluptuous yet strong body, a beautiful head of golden hair, tucked beneath a green camo hat and a strong catlike face.

She was indeed stunning and she definitely kept Emmett on his toes.

A slow grin spread across her face. "Ready to kick some ass?"

Bella raised her eyebrows and threw her bag into the backseat of Rose's car. "And who's ass will we be kicking?"

"Jessica's," Rosalie said as if it were obvious.

"I just want to talk to her," Bella said.

"But she slept with your boyfriend," Rosalie pointed out.

"That was way before me," Bella said. "Emmett is no virgin. Do you want to go beat the hell out of all the girls he's slept with?"

She thought for a minute before responding with a, "Hell no," as well as a, "Not if they taught him what he knows," she waggled her eyebrows and squinted her eyes slightly. "I mean…the things he can do with his—"

Bella's disturbed eyes was the only thing stopping her from completing that sentence. She cleared her throat and looked down. "But this is my ass kicking outfit," she whined.

"Find Mike and kick_ his_ ass," Bella said, getting into Rosalie's blood red sedan.

Rosalie's eyes flashed. She had heard the stories circulating around the school. "Maybe I should," she grunted out, climbing into her car as well.

Bella snorted as she thought of the bruise of Jessica's face, knowing she wouldn't object to watching the spectacle. She wondered if Mike would dare to fight back, or if he would realize that he'd have Emmett to worry about if he did.

**OoO**

Bella hesitated before bringing her knuckles up to rap on Jessica's front door. Her car was parked in the driveway so she should be home.

Jessica answered. "Oh…hi," she said. She had wiped her makeup off, revealing the bruise to be much worse than Bella thought.

Bella hid a grimace. "Can we talk?"

Jessica nodded and let her through. She noted that Rosalie was sitting in her car across the street, looking very unhappy.

Jessica led her into the living room. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Do you have any interest in Edward?" Bella asked, cutting to the chase.

Jessica looked startled for a moment before she responded. "No…he's like a brother to me," she assured.

"Have you _ever_ been interested in him?"

She shook her head 'no'.

"But you slept with him," Bella pointed out. She could feel her anger rising for no reason. Jessica could sense it too.

"Would you like some tea?"

Now it was Bella's turn to look startled. "Why would I?" she asked petulantly.

"Tea is the answer to all of life's problems," Jessica said simply.

Bella snorted but followed Jessica into the kitchen. "And who taught you that?"

"Edward," Jessica said.

Bella sucked in a breath. "Oh."

Jessica retrieve two glasses from the cupboard.

Bella looked at her oddly. "You drink tea from a glass?"

Jessica chuckled. "Edward," she said simply again, as if it were an explanation.

Bella nodded. "I hardly know him," Bella muttered.

Jessica looked up at her as she filled each glass with water from the refrigerator tap. "He's very…I wouldn't say secretive," Jessica murmured. "He's…afraid of being hurt…he's paranoid that way."

"I've realized that," Bella said softly. Jessica looked at her questioningly. "I meant…little things," Bella said, stepping closer to Jessica. "I don't know his favorite color…or his favorite sport…or or…" she stuttered.

"Brown and basketball," Jessica answered softly.

Basketball she understood but, "brown?"

Jessica chuckled. "Your eyes," she surmised with a shrug.

"Your eyes are brown too," Bella pointed out.

"Alright fine…dirt then," Jessica chuckled as she heated each glass in the microwave. Bella giggled along with her. Then…silence.

Bella examined Jessica's features as she tended to the tea. She wondered if she should be disturbed by the similarities in their features. They could almost be sisters. But whiles Bella had coppery-red eyes and mahogany hair, Jessica stole some of her looks from her father. Her nearly black irises and chocolate brown hair resembled that of the old brute that terrorized his young daughter so constantly.

Bella and Jessica had the same coloring as well – pale as a ghost, although Jessica tanned better.

Jessica looked back at Bella, noting that her curious perusal was finished. She sighed and decided to answer Bella's irritated question. "I didn't even know it was him I'd slept with until he was banging on my door the next morning." She shook her head in disapproval. "He was still piss drunk and raving mad. He wanted to know where my bruises came from," her voice softened. "I wouldn't tell him and when my _father_ came to see what the yelling was about…that's when he realized."

"What'd he do?" Bella asked, leaning forward and taking the glass filled with hot tea from Jessica's hands.

"He literally threw my dad out the front door and beat his face to shit until _your_ dad got here."

Bella nodded. "Oh," she said, wandering the kitchen. "And since then..." She drifted off, not wanting to attempt defining their relationship, in fear of getting it wrong.

Jessica smiled and nodded her head, shyly ducking down to look into her cup.

Bella came to a stop in front of the refrigerator where several pictures hung with magnets. She sipped at her tea as she perused them.

One of them stood out. It was one of Edward and Jessica during some sort of social function…a birthday? Edward was dressed in a tuxedo and Jessica in a peach colored dress – embroidered with pearls and flowing down to her feet, which were delicately wrapped in open toed flat shoes.

No doubt Alice freaked out about them. _Flats at a black tie event?_ she would most definitely have asked in the overly high pitched voice she always used when stressed.

The flats were Edward's doing. His philosophy was that high heels were ridiculous contraptions that no woman should ever be subjected to. Jessica agreed.

The photo was indeed spectacular. It held exquisite detail. Edward had his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder and was glaring at something in the distance whiles she was looking up at his profile with such admiration it made Bella's throat tighten. Jessica loved him for sure – but it was the love of a sister in awe of her brother. This candid shot taken by an anonymous person was breathtaking and revealed a deep connection between the two people in it.

Another picture caught her eye. A banner hung in the background. It said, 'Forks Middle School Graduat—'. The rest was cut off. In the middle stood a lone girl, sallow faced and prone, hunched over as if defeated. A single quirk of her lips was the only proof of life in this girl.

Looking back and forth between the two pictures Bella realized that this sickly, deathly thin girl was Jessica – seemingly before Edward had come into her life.

Bella reached up and traced over the picture. It was like looking at herself in the mirror. Was this how she looked to everyone else? Did her father look upon _that_ face every day? How he bared it she had no clue.

Bella looked back at the shot with Jessica and Edward. Jessica's face had filled out. There was a fullness in her cheeks and her smile that had not been there before. Also, she was at _least_ twenty pounds heavier. She looked healthy and happy as if nothing could ever bring her down.

_Is this the result of being with Edward_? she thought to herself. If it was, she could never take that away from Jessica.

"Can I borrow these?" Bella asked as she tugged the photos from their place.

Jessica's only concern was for the picture of her and Edward. She looked apprehensive.

"I'll bring them back to you," Bella assured.

Jessica nodded.

"I should go," Bella murmured. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Jessica smiled, Bella was definitely calmer. "Yes Bella," she said, following her to the front door to see her out.

Jessica watched as Rosalie pulled away from the curb. She had always hoped to never lose Edward, but if it were to someone as caring as Bella was to him, she would bare that loss…for his sake.

**OoO**

Bella sat on her bed, staring hard at the pictures before her. She wanted to talk to him but she didn't know when she could. She had been burdened by thoughts of a lonely dark haired girl with no one to turn to. Jessica didn't even have a sibling – well as far as Bella knew.

She had excused herself early from the dinner table and was currently just…staring at the photos. She had nothing to take her mind off of them – having completed her homework hours before.

A single knock on her balcony door gave her an answer. She stood and opened the door hastily. "Edward," she whimpered, pulling him close. His arms wrapped around her shoulders tight. He shut the door behind him and pulled her to his chest, letting her straddle him as he sat on her bed, listening to her weep softly and not even knowing why.

She let the tears fall for the lonely girl in that photo.

_Sweet sweet Jess…I'll never take him from you…_

**A/N: Review please. **


	12. Hiatus Updates

**UPDATE:** **6/8/2011**

**As some of you know – those who've read the original version of The Mobster's Son – a little over a year ago, my maternal grandmother passed away. I had gone back to my home country and laid her to rest – taking a short hiatus as well.**

**Unfortunately, I feel the need to take yet **_**another **_**hiatus. A couple of months ago, my great grandfather – to whom I was very close to – had passed away. He was a prominent religious figure in my home country and was very well loved and respected.**

**Earlier this evening, my paternal grandmother passed away. What had started a breast cancer two years ago had grown into lung cancer, liver cancer, and bone cancer. Even though I should have been well prepared, her death felt sudden to me.**

**I haven't been able to see her because she has been in a hospice, and my immune system isn't exactly in tip-top shape.**

**My grandmother was lived a hard life but somehow made it to this very special country. She is one of the reasons I have an actual future ahead of me.**

**She had only one name like Madonna, Cher, and Prince.**

**Bissoondai, you will be greatly missed.**

**Also, many complications have arisen due to my arthritis. I can no longer lift my arms and my Rheumatologist has found bone spurs on my hip bone.**

**I am very sorry to have to inform you that I will be taking my leave from FFN for a while – at least until I can sort out my thoughts. As you can tell, I have a lot on my plate, and not the best luck imaginable.**

**I can assure you though; this hiatus will**_**not**_**result in me permanently leaving FFN. I'm already working on an entirely new version of chapter 3 of TMS and I am half-way done with the next chapters of Mockingbird and The Color of Freedom.**

**I have posted this update on all my stories, so don't think I'll be favoring one over the other.**

**Please be patient. There is only so much stress I can take and I don't really want to go into my heart problems right now.**

**So…yeah…I've said my peace.**

…**I'll see you guys later…**

* * *

**UPDATE:****12/29/2011**

**I am sincerely grateful that I have such amazing and understanding readers such as you. I thank you all for sticking it out for me. Your words of kindness and support bring me overwhelming joy, especially in such hard times.**

**It is not with happiness that I bring more news. December 5th****of this month, I lost my great-grandmother. She was very important to me, having taken care of me so much as a younger child. Her husband had passed earlier this year and I guess that she felt as if it was her time.**

**Also, I am now using a crutch to help me walk because my arthritis is becoming increasingly uncooperative. I've begun a series of different treatments since my last update. First the anti-inflammatories (which I am still on), muscle-relaxers, steroids, and now I take shots to help suppress my immune system…My doctor is certain that my JRA will follow me into adulthood and for this I worry about my future.**

**However, during my time away from FFN, I've realized that writing helps me cope with everything going on in my life.**

**I will begin to update all of my stories within the next few days. I'm thinking that the new year is very appropriate for my want…no**_**need**_**of a fresh start. I am an extremely optimistic person and I'm very willing to leave all the sadness of this year behind me.**

**I hope you all will have a very happy New Year.**

**I'll see you guys soon…**

**..**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Been a while, eh?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"Bella?" He was concerned – that much was evident in his voice. His hands stroked her back soothingly. Her cries quieted to sporadic hiccups. "Bella…" he whispered again, pressing his lips to her hair.

She sniffled. "I went to Jess' house earlier…" she mumbled into his neck. She felt him stiffen.

"Oh."

She climbed off of his lap slowly, reaching across the bed to where the pictures laid. She clutched them close to her chest, not daring to meet his eyes yet. She didn't want to know if he was angry with her for talking to Jessica. She just wanted to get her point across.

She revealed one of the pictures in her hands. "That's you and her…" Edward took it from her hands. Bella finally looked up, watching his reaction. His brow was furrowed and there was a crease right above the bridge of his nose. She briefly wondered what it would feel like beneath her lips.

Bella cleared her throat and revealed the next picture. He took it from her slowly, freezing as he looked at the picture – _really_ looked at it. "That used to be her…" Bella whispered.

Edward looked up at Bella, his gaze impenetrable. "It _used_ to be."

Bella bit her lip. "You saved her."

Edward looked away. It was hardly him alone. It was Alice, Carlisle, and Esme. After Jessica's mother got counseling to deal with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband, she made steps to improve Jessica's health. Even Charlie was responsible for the dramatic changes in her. "Not only me, Bella," Edward insisted.

Bella shook her head. "It _was_ you. She thinks you're her savior. Can't you tell by the way she looks at you?" Bella sniffled. "…like the sun rises and sets with you?"

"Bella…" he trailed off. He was at lost for words, still seated on her bed looking confused and feeling useless as she stood several feet from him, nervously twisting her toes in the plush carpet below her.

"I just need to know, Edward… If I asked you to…would you leave her…forever? Never talk to her again?" She observed him carefully.

He didn't blink, not missing a beat. "Yes." His answer held no remorse or hesitation. It was absolute.

The tears began to fall. He stood, pulling her to his chest, where she began sobbing once more. "I'd never ask you to Edward," she cried, feeling helpless to her guilt. He clenched his eyes shut.

"I know, Bella." He knew this in his heart. She was too sweet and caring to do something so malicious. He immediately knew where the conversation was headed when she observed the differences in Jessica before and after they became friends.

"Does it make me a horrible person for wanting to know?" she cried, trying to burrow her way into his chest.

"No Bella," his voice an insisting whisper. "You're just watching out for yourself. I know you don't want to get hurt Bella," he murmured.

He walked back towards the bed and laid her down gently, curling his body over hers. Eventually, she calmed, sniffling ever so slightly as she clutched his chest, sighing contentedly and feeling more tired than ever. She fiddled with the zipper of his hoodie – curious as to what was beneath it.

She felt his lips press to her forehead and he held her tighter. "You can't be all that comfortable," Edward mumbled as his hand came up to rest upon her jean clad thigh.

The beast within him nearly ripped him from his shoes when she exited Alice's car dressed in jeans so tight they looked as if they were a second skin. Her satin yellow halter top that tightened around her breasts whenever she moved her arms had kept him in an even tenser mood all day.

She groaned as she pulled herself from his arms. "I'll go change," she mumbled. She moved swiftly around her room before disappearing out into the hall to the bathroom.

He sighed and stood, removing his shoes as to not sully her bed sheets. He laid back down, over the covers, and threw an arm over his eyes whiles the other rested on his abdomen.

He was comfortable…and yet completely on edge. His body fit into her bed as if he were made to be the only one to lie in it with her. But her _scent_…it was so thick and heady in the relatively small room. He willed his body not to react to the constant scent of sex that seemed to permeate from her pores. He didn't want to scare her or make her think that he was only with her because he wanted her body.

He heard her moving about outside the room – her nervousness seemed to penetrate the old wooden door. He could hear her tugging at her clothes – the soft sliding of fabric against her skin told him that she was wearing silk. He was certain she wasn't the type to wear silk to bed.

Maybe she was trying to impress him? His lips quirked at the thought. She would never need to. He thought she was the sun. Besides, she wasn't the kind of girl who cared about other people's thoughts of her.

He heard her sigh impatiently before her hand touched the knob. She seemed to have gained her courage. She entered the room and turned the lights off, leaving the lamp on her nightstand on as she crawled into the bed – over the covers as well. She kept to her own side of the bed and fisted her hands beneath her head.

He opened on eye, chuckling at her uncertainty. He pulled her close, tangling his leg through hers and turning over her onto her back. Her breaths halted as she got used to his weight. She finally relaxed into the bed with a small whimper. His breaths caressed her neck and his fingers were intertwined with hers.

She ran the cool fingers of her free hand over the back of his neck, feeling his hairs stand on end at her touch. She wished she could do this forever, just lay with him – feeling his weight and smelling his apple blossom scent. His fingers were drifting down her sides now. He twirled some of the fabric between his fingers. "Why this?" he mumbled, raising himself up with the hand near her head.

She groaned in discomfort when she felt a sudden emptiness inside. She looked down at her nighty. Her mother had bought it for her. Renee knew that if her daughter were to have a sleepover or spend a night at a friend's house, she should have something pretty to wear.

This was well before Phil had entered their lives and took her mother from her. You would never know that they had once been extremely close, especially after all that happened her final days in Phoenix.

"I want to look nice," she murmured, trying to pull him down on top of her again.

His brow furrowed. "You don't have to," he said softly. She sighed a sigh that told him that there was more of an explanation to her state of dress than she cared to give. "Bella," he whispered, looking down at her.

"I don't…have…nice things, Edward," she said, averting her gaze.

He looked perplexed. "I don't understand," he said, confusedly.

"When I stand next to you…I look like a nobody…someone who isn't even in your league."

He sighed and closed his eyes, rolling off of her. She frowned; the cold emptiness inside her growing. "I…I don't even know how to respond," he said, shaking his head.

She turned, taking initiative and throwing and arm over his chest. "I'm not asking you to," she said simply. "I just want you to know how I feel."

His brow furrowed. "I don't want you to feel that way, Bella. You're beautiful," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her back and turning to look at her porcelain face.

Her wide inquisitive eyes were wide and beguiling. He stared at her for a moment, wondering how someone so captivating could be so insecure.

She bit her lip and looked away from him; the intensity of his stare frightening her. His palm was at her cheek, turning her to face him. Then his lips were on hers, soft and slow – chaste.

He pulled away slowly, swiping his thumb over her cheek and the delicious blush that had spread there. He sighed, pulling her closer and kissing her hair. He stroked her back until her chest rose and fell slowly and evenly. He rolled her over and tugged the comforter over her, up to her chin. He crawled underneath and held her close.

After only a few minutes, she had begun her fidgeting. First she threw her leg over his hip, causing him to stiffen automatically. Then she wriggled away, pulling the comforter with her to the other side of the bed. She whimpered, her fingers twitched and her eyebrows pushed together as she dreamed of a bronze haired boy with a distracting tendency of being sweet.

After nearly an hour of dozing and listening to her continue her squirming, he got fed up, reaching out and wrapping both of his arms around her, capturing her in a bear hug.

She immediately settled down, smacking her lips together a couple of times. He smiled into her hair and fell asleep.

**OoO**

She frowned in her sleep, feeling her big warm pillow begin to move. She moaned her aggravation and clutched the pillow closer. Then she felt a calloused hand at her fingers, pulling. She released her pillow in favor of the hands, clutching them to her chest and rolling over – taking the person attached to the hands with her.

He grunted as he fell back on the bed and then chuckled as she pushed her small feet against his legs, silently telling him to stop moving.

"Bella," he whispered.

"No," she protested, still half asleep as she tried to pull him closer.

She felt the rumble of his chuckle as he pried her hands away. "I've got practice, Bella," he explained.

She opened one eye and looked at the clock. It was 4 am. _What kind of sadistic person would make his team practice at such an ungodly hour?_

Edward chuckled.

She flushed, realizing she had said that out loud.

"I'll see you in school, Bella," he said.

She harrumphed but conceded, letting go of his hand. "Fine," she muttered, wanting to cuddle more.

He pressed his lips to her hair and then quickly left.

**OoO**

Bella woke again at nearly half six to a demented fashion Nazi bearing down on her with an evil smile. This week, she'd gone to a neighboring town to have the piercing artist at a local tattoo parlor stretch her earlobes a bit more. It was red and swollen and it made her a bit cranky as she had an almost non-existent threshold for pain.

It was normally Jasper who got the brunt of her crankiness but he had practice that morning with Edward.

_Lucky them_, Bella thought wryly as Alice demanded a shower from her.

Even though it was nearing the close of October, Alice placed Bella in a flowing, knee length melon colored dress. "Alice," she whined. "I'm _already_ cold."

Alice gave her the hairy eyeball and then huffed. "Edward would kill me if you got sick," she muttered, flitting to Bella's closet and pulling out a pair of warm leggings and knee high black suede boots.

On their way to school, Bella was tense as can be. "What's going to happen today?"

Alice stared blankly at the road in front of her. "I can't see anything," Alice replied after a minute.

Bella let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

"No. Not good, Bella," Alice said, her brow furrowing as she swung into the parking spot next to Edward's. "Everything is just…empty space. I can't see _anything_."

Bella watched her friend, worriedly. "I'm sure it's nothing. Okay? Don't worry about it."

"Yeah. Right," Alice said distractedly, before shaking his head. "Edward's anxious for you."

Bella smiled. "See? There. Nothing to worry about, yeah?"

Alice shook her head. "No. Bella, Edward's fucking booking it towards us right now."

Sure enough, seconds later, Edward was nearly ripping the car door off it's hinges to get to the prize inside. The beast growled with glee as Edward snatched Bella up into his arms, leaving a lingering kiss upon her neck. "What took you so long?" he muttered into her skin.

She chuckled, "I'm here the same time as always." She glanced at her new phone, observing the time.

Bella turned to thank Alice for the ride to school, but the little dust mite had already skipped off to find Jasper. Bella huffed before returning her attention to Edward, who seemed to _really _want it.

"There's a new student today," Edward said conversationally as he plucked her bag from her hands.

"Hm? Who?" she asked distractedly, feeling a shiver come over her.

Edward tucked her beneath his arm for warmth, looking at her with thinly veiled concern. "Just some kid from the rez," he replied. "I don't know his name," Edward shrugged.

She stopped in front of him suddenly.

"_Jacob._"

**A/N: Um. Hi. Long time no see..? Lol. Please tell me what you think :)**


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